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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29859135">Fragile Tension</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakritzwolf/pseuds/Lakritzwolf'>Lakritzwolf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Deus Ex: Human Revolution</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Date Rape Drug/Roofies, Drugs are involved but no rape is happening, Frenemies to Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, lawsuits and courtrooms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:29:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29859135</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakritzwolf/pseuds/Lakritzwolf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just supposed to be a relaxing evening in a bar. And despite the night turning out anything but relaxing, Adam is still glad he was there at the right time in the right place.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adam Jensen/Francis Pritchard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkVxlK8Qt50">Fragile Tension</a> – Depeche Mode</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adam’s evening wasn’t going as planned for several reasons. </p>
<p>First, there was the new bartender guy who handed him the ordered whiskey with ice, without Adam having asked for it. Apart from the inconvenience of having to order another one, the sheer blasphemy of serving such a good malt on ice had put a damper on his mood before the night had even started. </p>
<p>Then there was the music. He had just about started on his drink when musicians started to set up their gear, and only because of the usual ambience of the place Adam hoped it wouldn’t be trash metal, or another assault on the eardrums of any sane person.</p>
<p>The third factor in his rapidly deteriorating plan of having a night out to relax was sitting at the other end of the bar at a small, round table, and was as of yet unaware of Adam’s presence. </p>
<p>Neither Adam nor Pritchard frequented this bar very often, but they had run into each other a few times. Usually they just vaguely acknowledged each other’s presence, on a good day they sort-of saluted each other with their drinks, to go on minding their own business. </p>
<p>Adam hadn’t made his presence known to Pritchard and had no intention to do so, but with him around Adam felt he couldn’t really relax without knowing why. Maybe his mood being soured beforehand had something to do with it. He was however watching the other man with a certain kind of morbid fascination, because Pritchard was wearing an outfit Adam would never have expected on him: a black shirt with a rather snug fit, and something that looked like a soft, thin sweater jacket with a hood. He was also wearing his hair down, something that Adam had never seen before. Pritchard was sipping his beer and watching the stage while picking the label off his bottle, and that alone made Adam twitchy, although he could not look away from the strands of hair framing Pritchard’s face. </p>
<p>As Pritchard got up to head for the bar Adam looked hastily away, but the other man didn’t notice him. Pritchard got himself a drink that looked like a G&amp;T and walked back to his table, and Adam felt his face burn in a very confusing and unfamiliar way. Pritchard’s outfit was even worse now, in a way that it was even more unexpected. He was wearing a pair of black jeans that were so tight they looked painted on, and the sweater jacket wasn’t nearly long enough to cover his backside. Adam found himself stare until he realised what he was doing. </p>
<p>It got steadily worse, because before sitting down Pritchard shrugged the jacket off and the shirt he was wearing wasn’t a T-shirt, it was a fucking tank top, and for the first time Adam could see what he had so far only assumed Pritchard would have somewhere: a large tattoo of a green and purple snake winding around his right arm and up the shoulder, and down again on the left arm where the head was resting a little above the wrist.</p>
<p>Adam took a hasty and rather generous swig of his drink as he stared back at the stage. He would have thought Pritchard to have absolutely no definition, noodle arms and legs, as you would expect from a chronic nerd who spends most of his time behind a desk. And while Pritchard was in no way ripped or buff, he had finely shaped arms, muscular in a wiry sort of way. Narrow shoulders, narrow hips, but definitely no spaghetti legs and – god, Adam had to stop staring or he’d never hear the end of it if Pritchard caught him. </p>
<p>Come to think of it, it made sense that Pritchard did not have spaghetti arms. He had a bike after all, a real one, not only the VR bike in his office. Those things were heavy, and without a certain leg and arm and core muscle strength you couldn’t handle a monster like that. It made Adam re-evaluate his assumption that Pritchard’s handshake would feel like grabbing a wet dish cloth. Likely far from it.</p>
<p>In all, his night was now worse than he would ever have been able to imagine, because now he had seen a side of Pritchard he was sure he would not want Adam to see, and on top of everything else Adam had to discover how god-damn attractive the other man was. Who would have been able to imagine he was hiding such a body under those baggy jeans and turtlenecks?</p>
<p>Pritchard tied the jacket around his hips now before sitting down again, and rummaged around in his leather jacket lying next to him until he found a pack of smokes and a lighter. </p>
<p>At this point the musicians on the stage, which was no more than a large, cleared area, had finished with their set-up and did a few sound-checks. Adam counted two guitars and a bass and what looked like a drum computer, and a single microphone stand. He expected the worst, but when they music finally started it was just good, solid hard rock, and the guys weren’t even that bad. It could be a lot worse, and Adam decided to order himself another drink after all. </p>
<p>He wasn’t observing or stalking Pritchard. He definitely wasn’t, but at one point he just happened to look across the bar again. Another guy was now sitting next to Pritchard, smiling and chatting, but you didn’t need to know Pritchard well to see he wasn’t pleased about the company. He hardly replied to the other guy, didn’t really look at him, and Adam felt a little sorry for Pritchard. He hadn’t even realised that Pritchard’s customary scowl had been absent before, but now it was back and Adam wanted to punch the other guy a little bit.</p>
<p>He was debating with himself if he should make his presence known, walk over there, invite Pritchard for a drink, but Pritchard could handle himself and would not appreciate Adam’s rescue attempt. Adam knew Pritchard would see right through the act; they knew each other too well for that. </p>
<p>A new group of people entered the bar and it was getting a little cramped now, so Adam migrated towards the other end of the bar where there was a little more breathing space. He lost sight of Pritchard and hoped he would be able to get rid of the annoying guy, but knowing Pritchard, said other guy was probably gone already. Being polite was an option that existed in Pritchard’s books only at the back of the appendices.</p>
<p>Two songs later the group of people who had pushed themselves between him and Pritchard’s table decided they didn’t like the music and left again. And Adam told himself not to look. It wasn’t his business. Pritchard did not need a knight in shining armour to save him. </p>
<p>But of course, being only human, Adam did look and immediately regretted it. </p>
<p>Because now Pritchard and the other guy were practically sitting on each other, and were snogging like they were alone in the room. </p>
<p>That was weird. Ten minutes ago Pritchard had looked as if he wanted to emasculate the guy and make him choke on his own balls, and now they were snogging. And in a way that Adam would not have expected, since Pritchard didn’t strike him as a guy who was big on public display of affection. Not that he would know, of course. It just felt weird, and looked even weirder. </p>
<p>Adam looked back at the musicians and emptied his drink. After debating of he should get another one or not, he eventually decided that he would get one last shot and then go home. </p>
<p>The table was empty. But Pritchard’s jacket was still lying on the chair next to the one Pritchard had been sitting on. </p>
<p>Adam’s cop instincts reared up, and alarms went off in his head. He quickly crossed the bar in a few long strides, elbowing two guys aside who didn’t get out of his way fast enough. </p>
<p>There was Pritchard’s jacket, and his smokes and the lighter still on the table. Adam didn’t resist the urge and checked the pockets and yes, there was his phone, his wallet, and his keys. He would not leave those unattended in a crowded bar. That was so unlike Pritchard that it set off even more alarms. Adam grabbed the still half-full glass and eyed it, a dark suspicion coalescing in his gut. </p>
<p>Adam looked around the bar for a moment, and then spotted a group of four young women standing close together. He approached them, and made sure not to loom over them when he reached them. </p>
<p>“Excuse me,” he yelled as politely as he could over the music.</p>
<p>They looked him up and down, three with narrowed eyes, one with barely hidden interest. </p>
<p>“Excuse me,” Adam said again. “Is one of you by chance wearing that drug detecting nail polish?”</p>
<p>The demeanour of the girls immediately changed, and one pushed her purse into the arms of another. </p>
<p>“I do,” she said, and dipped her little finger into the drink without hesitation. Moments later the colour changed from pearly white to blue. </p>
<p>“Shit,” she muttered, and looked up at Adam, eyes wide with worry. </p>
<p>“Fuck,” Adam said and thrust the glass at her. “Hold on to that! Call the police! And you!” He pointed at another. “There’s a leather jacket lying there, take that and watch it!”</p>
<p>The other girl immediately headed for the table while another was already unlocking her phone, and the fourth one headed for the bar, probably to inform the bartender. </p>
<p>Adam left them and stormed outside. </p>
<p>“Pritchard?”</p>
<p>The street was empty, and Adam gritted his teeth. He was too late. </p>
<p>“Pritchard!”</p>
<p>Adam activated his HUD and broke into a run when two non-hostiles appeared at the edge of his map. Adam heard a car door, and had never been so glad as he was now about his legs. He ran around the corner and there he was, that annoying guy, just about to get into the driver’s seat of a car. Adam broke into a sprint and just managed to grab the door handle as the guy was about to slam it shut. </p>
<p>Adam tore the door open and grabbed the guy’s collar to drag him out of the car, and he needed a lot of self-control to not bash his face in. Because there in the passenger seat was Pritchard, slack-faced and with drooping eyes, and his head was almost lolling. He looked only half conscious. </p>
<p>“Alex?” Pritchard slurred, voice low and unsteady. He sounded drunk, but Adam knew better.</p>
<p>“Okay, asshole,” Adam growled as he took the guy called Alex into a hammer lock with a rough move that made the other man yelp. “Game’s over.”</p>
<p>“Let me go! What do you think you’re doing!” The guy tried to break free, but had no change against Adam, of course. He stopped struggling, but kept throwing every foul insult at Adam he could think of. </p>
<p>“Shut the fuck up,” Adam growled as they rounded the corner. </p>
<p>“Let go of me!” He yelped again as Adam tightened the hold. “You got no right!”</p>
<p>“And you got no right to spike other people’s drinks.” </p>
<p>“Fuck!” He struggled even more, tried to break free, which only ended with him howling in pain as Adam tightened his grip even more. </p>
<p>Several people were standing in front of the bar, the bartender and the girls Adam had asked for help. One of them was clutching Pritchard’s jacket, and one was talking to the bartender. The third one, the one with the nail polish, hurried towards Adam with worried eyes, while the fourth one was clutching her phone while anxiously looking around. </p>
<p>“Where’s your friend?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Round the corner, in a car,” Adam said. “But he’s pretty far out by the looks of it.”</p>
<p>Adam would very much have liked to fetch Pritchard himself, but he was holding his would-be rapist down and he didn’t have anything to cuff him with. If it had just been him he would have knocked him out, but that would not work in his favour, because Pritchard needed medical attention, and that would lead to the police getting involved. So he watched two of the girls vanish around the corner. </p>
<p>“Police is on the way,” the bartender said, and looked past Adam, down the street. “Also an ambulance. Don’t know what he used, but that shit can fuck you up real bad.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Adam replied darkly, and tightened his hold again, just to make that asshole yelp. </p>
<p>They didn’t have to wait long for the police to arrive. And although he denied everything and yelled assault and violence, Alex – if that even was his real name – was eventually, after the officers had talked with the bartender and the girls, cuffed and manhandled into the police car by two officers. A third one took Adam’s statement, but asked him to come to the precinct tomorrow, and make sure Pritchard would come in for a statement as well.</p>
<p>Moments later the two girls rounded the corner with Pritchard between them. They both had their arms hooked through his, and were talking to him in low, calm voices. At first glance Pritchard seemed to be absolutely shitfaced, but when he got closer Adam saw the pinprick pupils and also noticed the strange, heavy sleepwalker gait.</p>
<p>“Right!” the bartender called. “There’s the ambulance!”</p>
<p>They didn’t come in on blue lights and sirens, but the paramedics who jumped out immediately beelined for Pritchard without hesitation, and without needing to ask questions. They obviously knew what they were looking for. </p>
<p>But as they tried to talk Pritchard into the ambulance he began to resist, asked for Alex, and was extremely uncooperative despite the state he was in. Adam decided to intervene though Pritchard would not thank him for that later, but it would be the lesser evil compared to him making a major scene while drugged, and in public. </p>
<p>“Come on, Pritchard,” Adam said calmly as he reached the other man’s side. “You’re not okay. That Alex guy spiked your drink. You need to get checked up in the hospital.”</p>
<p>Pritchard squinted at him, and then tilted his head with narrowed eyes. “Jensen? The fuck are you doing here? Where’s Alex?”</p>
<p>“In the police car,” Adam replied. “Because he drugged you. You know me, Francis. I don’t mess with things like that.”</p>
<p>Pritchard stared at him, the foggy stare out of pinprick pupils getting more unsettling with every second. Adam reached out to take Pritchard’s arm, and thankfully he let himself be tugged towards the ambulance. Having given in he now stopped resisting, and let the paramedics do their job. </p>
<p>“He needs to have a doctor look at him,” one of the paramedics said to Adam. “Blood sample, primarily, for the police record. You his friend? Date for the night?”</p>
<p>“Friend, sort of,” Adam replied. “We work together.”</p>
<p>“Want to ride with him? It would be better if he isn’t alone through this.”</p>
<p>Adam didn’t hesitate a second. No, he and Pritchard weren’t friends, they had just about stopped hating each other after Panchaea and everything else. If Adam was being honest he had stopped hating Pritchard long before that, and was was comparatively sure it had been the same for Pritchard. He wouldn’t bet on it though, but right now he was the best Pritchard got. So he fetched Pritchard’s jacket, thanking the girls profusely for their help, and went back to the ambulance. He sat down next to the gurney and strapped himself in, while eyeing Pritchard with a deep feeling of unease. </p>
<p>The ride to the hospital didn’t take that long, thankfully, as Adam hated seeing Pritchard so out of control of himself. He kept asking where Alex was, again and again, and he also asked what Adam was doing here, several times. It was unsettling. </p>
<p>Once they had finally reached the ER everything happened quickly despite the full waiting room. A doctor took Pritchard’s personal data, aided by Adam who hoped Pritchard would forgive him for going through his wallet. And because Pritchard couldn’t really answer any questions, Adam supplied the doctor with the necessary information as best as he could. Then she took some blood samples, and did a thorough examination of Pritchard’s vitals. </p>
<p>“Given the circumstances he’s okay,” she doctor said after she was done measuring Pritchard’s blood pressure. “He got a pretty decent dose, but he’s physically stable. He should just go home and rest, sleep it off, but make sure he isn’t alone.”</p>
<p>“I’m not his boyfriend,” Adam said hastily, with a quick glance at Pritchard. He was too far gone however, and didn’t react.</p>
<p>“You obviously know him well,” the doctor replied, and made no secret of how tired and annoyed she was. “So just watch him tonight so he doesn’t vomit in his sleep. We’re drowning in worse cases here tonight. I swear everyone in this god damn city loses every bit of survival instinct and common sense each Friday.”</p>
<p>Adam looked at Pritchard, and although he didn’t like the thought, she had a point. He had seen how cram-full the waiting room was. And apart from that, Pritchard would probably thank him if he didn’t rack up the hospital bill any further. </p>
<p>After equipping himself with a couple of barf bags for the taxi ride home Adam steered Pritchard out of the hospital. After fruitless discussions with three taxi drivers, Adam then needed some serious haggling with the fourth one before he was willing to ferry them to the Chiron building – and that only after Adam put a 5000 credit deposit onto the passenger seat for a deep clean of the car should the worst happen. </p>
<p>He pushed Pritchard onto the back seat and sat down next to him, barf bag at the ready. But despite the lolling head and glassy eyes Pritchard didn’t look nauseous. </p>
<p>Five minutes into the drive Pritchard looked up, and at Adam. He tried to focus on Adam’s face but failed, and tilted his head with a frown. </p>
<p>“Jensen? What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“Getting you somewhere safe. You’ve been drugged.”</p>
<p>“Where’s Alex?” Pritchard slurred.</p>
<p>“Arrested. He’s the one who drugged you.”</p>
<p>“Fuck.” Pritchard slowly shook his head, and looked at Adam again. “Are we going to fuck?”</p>
<p>Adam’s mind blanked out. What tore him out of it was one of Pritchard’s hands sneaking up his thigh, and he hastily pushed that away and firmly placed it onto Pritchard’s leg instead. </p>
<p>“We are not,” he said, with a much steadier voice than he had expected. “You’re drugged.” And because of a million other reasons.</p>
<p>“But you’re hot,” Pritchard muttered with a pout. “But you’re an asshole. A hot asshole. An asshole like you has no business being that hot.”</p>
<p>“I’m flattered,” Adam said and grabbed Pritchard’s hand again. “But you need to cut it out.”</p>
<p>“Why? You’re hot, and Alex dumped me.” </p>
<p>The cabby snorted, and Adam cast him a quick glare via the rear view mirror.</p>
<p>“And you’re drugged,” Adam replied firmly, and now grabbed Pritchard’s other hand with his other. “Stop groping me.”</p>
<p>“Why,” Pritchard asked, leaning closer. A strand of is hair fell around his face and teetered around in front of his eyes.</p>
<p>Adam decided he had to put on the emergency brake. He activated his CASIE, did a quick analysis, and demanded again Pritchard take his hands off him, this time aided by pheromones. That finally did the trick, and Pritchard fell back into his seat, crossing his arms with a pout. </p>
<p>Nothing else happened, thankfully, and they reached the Chiron building without utilising the barf bags or the deposit. Adam still tipped the driver generously as it had been obvious how apprehensive he had been, and he was glad that someone else’s night would not be ruined by this as well. </p>
<p>Adam had to discover that by the time they reached the elevator the pheromones had worn off, because he needed to dose Pritchard again to keep him from getting too close or pressing the emergency stop button. It really made him feel bad; he hated using the CASIE at the best of times, and using it now and like this made him feel like shit. Pritchard had been violated enough, but Adam saw himself without alternatives short of knocking him out.</p>
<p>Things took a turn for the worse the moment Adam locked the door behind them. Pritchard looked around, and before Adam could even drop the leather jacket, Pritchard had pulled the tank top over his head and thrown it down the stairs. </p>
<p>Quite obviously the pheromones only worked on precise commands, because while Pritchard had kept his hands off Adam, he now started to undress on the way to the bedroom. Pushing out another dose of pheromones Adam jumped down the stairs after him. </p>
<p>“Stop! Stop undressing now!”</p>
<p>Pritchard stopped unbuttoning his jeans and glared at Adam from behind the curtain of hair in front of his face. “How are we going to fuck then?” he asked, voice still slurred.</p>
<p>“We are not!” Adam took a few deep breaths and grabbed a T-shirt from his closet. “Here. Put that on. Then take off your jeans” – another dose of pheromones – “and only the jeans! And then you go to bed!” He pointed at the bed. “There! Alone!” </p>
<p>Adam did not want to watch Pritchard undress any further so he turned around, and only turned back once he heard the rustling of bed clothes. </p>
<p>“Do not leave the bed,” he said, and headed for the kitchen to get Pritchard a large glass of water. </p>
<p>After coercing Pritchard into drinking it, he emptied the bucket full of cleaning supplies under the bathroom sink and put that next to the head end of the bed. Pritchard’s eyes were fluttering shut, and his face was even paler now than usual. </p>
<p>“You not coming,” he whispered, voice rough and tired.</p>
<p>“Go to sleep.”</p>
<p>Finally Pritchard closed his eyes, and not long after he stopped wriggling and tossing. Adam kept his eyes on him as he slowly sank into his desk chair, and then he doubled over and buried his face in his palms with a deep, suffering groan. </p>
<p>Seeing as he would not get any sleep tonight Adam got himself a coffee, using the largest mug he had. Equipped with that he settled down at his computer and began to google for information about date rape drugs, and what he would have to look out for. And also, what he would have to expect tomorrow morning.</p>
<p>There were a lot of those, and to narrow down the list Adam checked for information about the nail polish, and the types of drugs they would detect. He found a match in a drug that was comparatively new on the market, but was build mostly around the substance of another drug that the nail polish would react to. The list of symptoms was lowered inhibition, disorientation, short term memory malfunctions, and a sky-rocketing libido. </p>
<p>“That sounds about right,” Adam muttered and scrolled further down. </p>
<p>After-effects were mostly like a severe hangover: nausea, headache, tiredness, and thirst. A lot of people had reported they were freezing for hours the morning after, and anxiety and mild panic attacks were also very common. </p>
<p>“Just great.” Adam rubbed a hand down his face. He still had the meds prescribed to him for the after-effects of the trauma he had been through prior and after his augmentation, and he quickly checked the expiration date. They were still okay, but it was the really hard stuff for PTSD treatment. He hoped he would not need them, because having to deal with a drugged and artificially horny Pritchard was bad enough. Having to deal with a Pritchard suffering from panic attacks was even worse, especially after a night without sleep.</p>
<p>Adam did not want to crash on the sofa, because the words of the doctor about Pritchard vomiting in his sleep were still haunting him. It would make a horrible stinking mess and he would probably have to buy a new mattress, but despite that it was still better than Pritchard choking in his sleep. So Adam would stay right here in his desk chair, and do the only thing he could do right now, which was watching over Pritchard as if they were not co-workers who could barely stand each other. </p>
<p>Adam didn’t want to think of the awkwardness that would doubtlessly follow, once Pritchard was aware of himself and his surroundings again. Arching his back with a groan Adam got up to get himself another coffee, and settled back down again at his computer for more research about what he would have to expect and what the best courses of actions were. </p>
<p>He ended up reading a few reports of people who had been through similar experiences, but hadn’t been as lucky as Pritchard had been. And eventually Adam decided that he would rather sit here trying to keep himself awake to keep Pritchard safe, because the alternative, the thought of what would have happened if he hadn’t given in to his instincts, didn’t bear thinking about. </p>
<p>Adam cast a look across the room towards the bed. Even if he would end up having to buy a new mattress, it was still preferable to what might have happened if Pritchard were not in Adam’s bed right now.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been well after one at night when Adam had dragged Pritchard into his home and the bed, and the hours were crawling by like weeks. Adam poured coffee after coffee down his throat, but never left the bedroom for longer than absolutely necessary. Pritchard was out cold however, and it was shortly after eight when he began to stir.</p>
<p>Adam had been about to nod off in his chair, but the rustling of the blanket and a hoarse groan tore him out of his tired stupor.</p>
<p>He had been babysitting friends and fellow students through bad trips, drunkenness, and subsequent hangovers for years, and had believed those times well behind him. He still recognised the signs of imminent catastrophe when Pritchard pushed himself into a half-upright position with a hoarse and shaky, “Oh god…”</p>
<p>Adam jumped out of his chair and grabbed Pritchard’s elbow to pull him onto his feet, and kicked the bathroom door open as soon as he could reach it. They made it just in time before Pritchard fell onto his knees before the toilet, and it was all that Adam could do to stand behind him and hold Pritchard’s hair out of his face as the poor man puked his guts out.</p>
<p>It really wasn’t fair, to have such a motherfucker of a hangover without any of the fun.</p>
<p>While Pritchard now sat back on his heels trying to catch his breath Adam hurried to fetch a glass so he could rinse his mouth. Then he helped Pritchard back to bed because he definitely wasn’t ready do deal with the world, seeing as he hadn’t even processed he was at Adam’s place, and that Adam was the one helping him around.</p>
<p>But since the worst seemed to be over now Adam allowed himself a cigarette break on his sofa, together with another large, hot coffee.</p>
<p>He had just finished said coffee and was debating if he needed another one right now or a little later when he heard a muffled yelp coming from the bedroom, followed by a thud. He quickly got up but at the same time the bedroom door flew open, and a dishevelled Pritchard stared at him out of impossibly wide eyes, the blanket wrapped tightly around him.</p>
<p>“Jensen! Why the fuck am I in your bed without my pants on?!”</p>
<p>“Just…” Adam lifted both hands. “Calm down, I can explain it. Just calm down, get dressed, and I make you a coffee. Then we talk.”</p>
<p>“Fuck you!!” Pritchard was gripping the blanket so tightly his knuckles were white. “What the fuck happened last night?!”</p>
<p>“Put on your pants, Pritchard, it’ll make you feel better!” Adam crossed his arms. “And then you sit your ass down here and listen to me!”</p>
<p>Pritchard looked as if he wanted to yell at him again, but then he turned around and slammed the bedroom door shut again. Adam dragged both hands down his face with a groan and dropped them with a heavy sigh. After shaking his head for good measure, he picked up his empty mug and headed for the kitchen.</p>
<p>Pritchard was sitting on the sofa when Adam bounced down the stairs, but he was tense, his arms wrapped tightly around him and his shoulders hunched.</p>
<p>“Where’s my shirt?” he asked without looking up as Adam sat down next to him.</p>
<p>“Somewhere,” Adam replied and gestured across the room towards the bedroom. “Doesn’t matter now. Listen, last night-”</p>
<p>“Last night!” Now Pritchard looked up, eyes burning. “What the fuck, Jensen!”</p>
<p>“Okay, calm the fuck down, Pritchard.” Adam took a deep breath. “Nothing happened. Here, I mean. In case you didn’t notice, I wasn’t in bed, and it was also me who helped you puke just now and made sure your hair wouldn't’ get messed up. So take a breath and let me speak.”</p>
<p>“Jensen, I…” Pritchard suddenly sounded miserable, his voice small and trembling. “I didn’t drink that much, did I? Why can’t I remember a fucking thing?”</p>
<p>Adam took another deep breath. “Remember Alex? That blonde guy who talked to you?”</p>
<p>Pritchard frowned. “What about that fuckwit?”</p>
<p>“He…” Adam cleared his throat. “He spiked your drink.”</p>
<p>While Pritchard had been pale before, his face now went as white as a sheet, and Adam was worried he might faint.</p>
<p>“You’re joking,” he whispered hoarsely.</p>
<p>“I wish I was.” Adam shrugged, shaking his head. “Look, I saw you two talk, and I also saw that you didn’t exactly enjoy the company. And next time I looked, you were snogging. Like, really snogging.”</p>
<p>Pritchard swallowed hard, shaking his head.</p>
<p>“And then, next time I had free line of sight, both of you were gone, but your jacket was still there and that just… set off all sorts of alarms, because you would never leave your keys and phone and wallet lying around like that. So I took what was left of your drink and asked a group of girls if one of them had that drug detecting nail polish. One had, and it tested positive. So I told her to hold on to the drink, and another called the police while I went after you. I just caught up as the guy was about to drive off, with you strapped into the passenger seat. You were less than half-conscious, by the looks of it.”</p>
<p>Adam paused, and leaned forward. Pritchard was looking steadily worse and worse. “You have to puke again?”</p>
<p>After a moment, Pritchard shook his head. “Go on,” he rasped.</p>
<p>“So I took the guy and dragged him back to the bar, and then the police showed up and took over. Then we got you out of the car and into the ambulance the barkeeper called. And yea, I… uh, I was already feeling kind of protective, so I went along. I also... sorry Pritchard, I had to go through your wallet for personal information in the ER since you couldn’t answer any of the doctor’s questions. Sorry about that.”</p>
<p>Pritchard shook his head again. “What then?” he whispered.</p>
<p>“They took blood samples, and send us home. The waiting room was spilling over, and the doc said you didn’t need medical attention, just a safe place to sleep it off and someone who watches you in case you start puking in your sleep. And since I don’t know where you live I just took you here.”</p>
<p>Pritchard remained silent and stared at his knees, his arms still slung tightly around him. Adam remembered having read about freezing, and he could see the goose flesh on Pritchard’s forearms. So he got up with a sigh and fetched the thickest, warmest hoodie he had. He unzipped it on his way back to the sofa and held it out to Pritchard.</p>
<p>“Here, put that on. I read that freezing is a hangover symptom of that shit.”</p>
<p>Pritchard narrowed his eyes, but after a moment he loosened his death grip around his chest and took the offered hoodie. He slipped it on while Adam sat down again, and now at least Pritchard didn’t look any more as if his teeth would start rattling any moment.</p>
<p>After looking at Pritchard for a few seconds Adam picked up the second cup from the table and held it out to him. Pritchard seemed confused for a moment but then took it, and inhaled the fragrant steam. He took a very cautious sip at first, but when it seemed like his stomach didn’t disagree he took another. Then he sighed, brushed a strand of hair behind his ear and looked at Adam again.</p>
<p>“So. A date rape drug, huh?”</p>
<p>Adam nodded.</p>
<p>“Did I make an ass out of myself?” Pritchard narrowed his eyes. And when Adam hesitated, he added darkly, “I did, didn’t I?”</p>
<p>“Look, it doesn’t matter,” Adam said then. “You weren’t yourself. It was the drug talking. Trust me, I can ignore that and pretend I never heard it.”</p>
<p>“Maybe you can,” Pritchard replied, clutching his mug. “But I need to know. I can’t just sit here wondering what kind of nonsense I’ve said or did, knowing that you know! So please, what did I do?”</p>
<p>Adam hesitated for a moment longer, but he had to admit that if he were in Pritchard’s shoes, he would rather know as well. At least they would be on the same page then in terms of what to pretend never happened.</p>
<p>“Okay, so…” he began and took a deep breath. “You kept asking for Alex, and kept asking what I was doing there. Short term memory malfunctions are one of the symptoms. And then you… uh…”</p>
<p>Pritchard’s eyes widened in horror.</p>
<p>“Nothing, really!” Adam hurried to say. “You just… in the taxi. You told me how hot I am.”</p>
<p>Pritchard almost choked on his own spit, and he stared at Adam out of horrified, panic-wide eyes as he coughed.</p>
<p>“You said something along the lines that I’m hot, but also an asshole, and that an asshole like me has no right to be that hot.” He shrugged. In hindsight, it was almost funny. But only almost.</p>
<p>“Oh my god…” Pritchard shook his head.</p>
<p>“And yeah.” Adam cleared his throat. “I had to… I had to use the CASIE on you. I just couldn’t… you tried to… uh… you got a little handsy.”</p>
<p>“Handsy,” Pritchard whispered flatly.</p>
<p>“Yeah, and I pheromoned you so you would keep your hands off me. Once in the taxi, then in the elevator, and here to get you into bed without me.”</p>
<p>Pritchard didn’t reply, and stared into his coffee. Adam could sympathise; he would be absolutely mortified too.</p>
<p>“But look, Pritchard, I…” He sighed. “I know you feel rotten about it, but I know that wasn’t you. That asshole drugged you, and whatever you did, or said, it wasn’t your fault. The point of that shit is to make people lose control.”</p>
<p>All the reply Adam got was a tiny shrug. He sighed and picked up his own cup, to discover it was empty.</p>
<p>“You want another one?”</p>
<p>Pritchard shook his head without looking up. “Don’t quite trust my stomach yet,” he muttered.</p>
<p>Adam watched Pritchard being miserable for a moment, feeling thoroughly sorry for him although he knew that pity was about the last thing that Pritchard wanted.</p>
<p>“Hey,” he said eventually, in an attempt to make this somehow less bad, without even knowing why. It wasn’t as if they were friends. “Is there anything I can do to make it better?”</p>
<p>Pritchard frowned, and then he looked up. “Why...why do you even care? Why are you doing this?”</p>
<p>Adam shook his head with a one-sided shrug. “I know we’re not friends. But I do think we stopped hating each other some time ago. And I… what can I say?” He shrugged again. “You had no one else, and I wanted you to be okay.”</p>
<p>“I guess I owe you one now.”Pritchard looked at the floor again, shaking his head.</p>
<p>“You don’t,” Adam replied. “No one told me to do it. If anything, after all those times I had you on my shoulder helping me through tight spots, I’d call us even. If you have to keep a tally, which I don’t.”</p>
<p>Now Pritchard looked up again with a tiny, crooked smile. “Really?”</p>
<p>Adam shrugged and tried to smile as well. “You could always stand me a drink or two, at one point.”</p>
<p>After a moment Pritchard’s smile softened, and it did something strange to his face. Adam had seen Pritchard’s face without his customary scowl exactly once, and that had been last night before everything had gone to shit. This was different, still. It wasn’t just a relaxed face, it was a smile of a kind Adam would not have expected on him. It made him look younger. And a lot more handsome.</p>
<p>“Jensen?”</p>
<p>“What?” Adam blinked.</p>
<p>“That was some serious thousand-yard-stare just now,” Pritchard said with a hardly audible chuckle. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“Just tired,” Adam replied quickly, which wasn’t even a lie. He <em>was</em> tired.</p>
<p>“Yeah, because you pulled an all-nighter because of me,” Pritchard said with a sigh, the smile wiped off his face again.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t my first, and it won’t be the last.” Adam shrugged. “Also, you’re one to complain about other people burning the midnight oil.”</p>
<p>This time the chuckle was a little more alive, and Pritchard shook his head with a wry little smile. “Well…”</p>
<p>They looked at each other, and exchanged a small, almost hesitant smile.</p>
<p>“You want another coffee?”</p>
<p>“I think I’ll try,” Pritchard replied. “Thanks.” But then he tilted his head with a frown that looked half-confused, half-amused. “Are we actually having a civilised conversation here?”</p>
<p>Adam picked up both cups and got up. “Seems like. Feels weird.”</p>
<p>“Need me to come up with a little barb?”</p>
<p>Pritchard leaned back into the sofa and crossed his arms. He still wasn’t scowling again however, and Adam had to tear his eyes away from Pritchard’s face. Pritchard tilted his head and lifted both eyebrows.</p>
<p>“If it makes you feel better,” Adam said eventually, and headed for the kitchen.</p>
<p>When Adam came back from the kitchen with two cups of coffee, Pritchard was leaning back into the sofa, his head dropped back and his eyes closed.</p>
<p>“Pritchard?” Adam whispered cautiously.</p>
<p>“I’m not asleep,” Pritchard muttered without opening his eyes.</p>
<p>Adam sat down again and put the coffee down onto the table. After a moment he cleared his throat. “This isn’t because I want you out of here, because you can stay as long as you need. But the officers last night told me you have to come into the precinct today to make a statement.</p>
<p>Pritchard’s eyes flew open, and his whole body went tense. His lips turned into a thin line and his cheekbones protruded as he gritted his teeth so hard that Adam could hear it.</p>
<p>“Pritchard… I know you don’t like cops but-”</p>
<p>“Damn right I do not like cops,” Pritchard echoed, his voice dripping with sarcasm and distaste. “And don’t you dare give me that bullshit about a few bad apples.”</p>
<p>“I am not.” Adam frowned at him. “I know a few bad apples ruin the whole barrel. I was in that barrel, remember? I know how rotten the system is in places.”</p>
<p>Pritchard huffed and looked at Adam. “Yes, and I had a part of that barrel poured over my head, Jensen. I know I’m not innocent, and I’ve never denied that I was a criminal. But it was petty cyber-criminality, until I tried that one big heist that got me arrested. And I was treated like I was a leader of a street gang raping and killing everything that moves. I still have the scars of the zip ties they cuffed me with.”</p>
<p>Adam had no idea what to say.</p>
<p>“I immediately copped a plea. I offered to repair the damage to the firewall and point out the weakness. Nothing of that mattered, and I was thrown in with gang-bangers, robbers, rapists, and other brutes that had the letters H A T E written on their knuckles in home made tattoos.”</p>
<p>Pritchard’s eyes were widening, and he was talking and breathing faster and faster, but Adam couldn’t stop him. “Pritch-”</p>
<p>“The guards in this place enjoyed watching me being used like a toy! And were pitching tents while they did so! And I was thrown into an isolation cell without light or heating when I tried to defend myself! So excuse me when I have my doubts about the integrity of our judicial system!”</p>
<p>After that outburst Pritchard stared at Adam with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. Adam himself didn’t know what to say either, but when Pritchard snapped his mouth shut and swallowed so hard it looked painful, Adam heaved out a heavy sigh.</p>
<p>“Feel better now that you got that out of your system?”</p>
<p>“No.” Pritchard fell back into the sofa. “You were not supposed to know all that.”</p>
<p>“Let’s just say I have seen more than one jail from the inside and I also heard every prison shower joke at least twice, so there are a few things I did not need to imagine.” Adam took a deep breath. “That aside, I understand now why you’re so apprehensive about talking to the police. And if you want, I can come along.”</p>
<p>“I do not need a knight in shining armour,” Pritchard hissed through gritted teeth.</p>
<p>“I’m not.” Adam shrugged. “You’re worried the police give you shit. I understand that. If I come along with you then the likelihood of them giving you shit is drastically reduced. I know you’re not a damsel in distress, Pritchard. But you are allowed to make your life a little easier now and then when the chance presents itself.”</p>
<p>Pritchard was silent for a long moment before he exhaled long and hard with closed eyes. Then he looked at Adam again. “I still don’t understand why you’re doing this.”</p>
<p>“Neither do I,” Adam replied with a one-sided shrug. “But it’s just an offer. Take it or leave it.”</p>
<p>Pritchard was still gritting his teeth, but eventually he let his eyes fall shut again for a moment. “You know, if you absolutely want to waste your time playing bodyguard I won’t say no, because you’re right.”</p>
<p>“Not wasting my time,” Adam said and picked up Pritchard’s cup. “If I stay at home I’d probably just be drinking and watching re-runs of baseball games or movies, so you’re actually doing me a favour with getting me out of the house.”</p>
<p>“You have such a charming way of making me feel better,” Pritchard replied and took the cup Adam was holding out to him. But there was a small and non-sarcastic smile on his face. “I will need to go home and have a shower first, and change.”</p>
<p>“Should I tag along or do you want to meet up at the precinct?”</p>
<p>Pritchard stared into his coffee for a moment. “I don’t mind you coming along. But that’s your choice.”</p>
<p>Adam picked up his own cup. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna stalk you once I know where you live.”</p>
<p>Pritchard snorted softly into his cup before taking a sip.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Pritchard’s place was a small, two bedroom apartment at the edge of down-town Detroit, stuffed to the ceiling with books and comics and graphic novels, and almost half of the living room was taken by a large terrarium. Adam admired the large python chilling under the heat lamp while Prichard took a shower and changed, and Adam kept asking himself why he was so surprised by the neat tidiness of the place. He had somehow expected the same kind of chaos that was in Pritchard’s office, but then, Pritchard probably spend more time at work than in his apartment and had no time to mess the place up.</p>
<p>Pritchard was silent and apprehensive on their way to the precinct, the more so the closer they got. The extremely bored-looking receptionist didn’t give them a second look after he had stated his business, but Adam really wanted to stand closer to Pritchard now or give him a hug, because he looked as if he expected to be thrown into the pen again any minute.</p>
<p>The officer who met them was a black woman in her late forties, with a bright smile and a handshake like a vice. They followed her into her office, and when she had sat down on the other side of the desk, she gave Pritchard a long look.</p>
<p>“You don’t have to look so scared,” she said. “There’s going to be no judging or victim shaming in this office.”</p>
<p>“So what proof is there that I am actually the victim?”</p>
<p>She folded her arms onto the desk. “I have your blood works right here, plus the statement of several witnesses. So I’m not gonna ask you what clothes you were wearing because that don’t mean shit. I’ve had three women and two guys sitting in this office during the last two months who weren’t as lucky as you, and they all described the same guy. I’ve been trying to pin him down for months, and now I finally can, thanks to you and your friend here.”</p>
<p>Pritchard relaxed the tiniest bit and nodded. “Sounds good.”</p>
<p>“So,” the officer replied with a small smile. “Tell me what happened.”</p>
<p>Adam’s presence turned out to have been unnecessary, but Adam was still glad he had come along. Despite everything Pritchard was a little shaken up when they left the precinct, and he didn’t complain when Adam offered to see him safely home.</p>
<p>Once back in his own apartment Adam fell into his sofa with a moan that turned into a yawn the moment he sat down and switched the TV on. He still didn’t regret a single hour of sleep he lost, not even when he woke up from his doze, having missed half of the game, and with a serious crick in his neck.</p>
<p>He got up and grabbed his phone to check the time, and saw that he had a text message from an unknown number.</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>We could grab a coffee tomorrow if you’re interested. P.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Adam smiled as he texted back on his way to the bedroom.</p>
<p>
  <em>Sure. Just let me know when and where.</em>
</p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Pick you up at two?</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <em>Great. See you then.</em>
</p>
<p>Adam put the phone down with a smile. Somehow, the prospect of getting along with Pritchard was something he was looking forward to.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>so, I only know about US courtrooms from the odd movie or crime series, but since I can't exactly travel across the pond and attend one for research purposes I have to work with what I know. So please don't yell at me.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Several weeks had passed since the evening that had almost ended in a catastrophe, but after the coffee date – although Adam was reluctant to call it a date, they had just been drinking coffee for an hour – they hadn’t talked about it again. Something had changed however, although it was subtle and would probably not be obvious to anyone else. </p>
<p>They still bantered, of course. Bickering and needling was a part of their relationship, although it had become a little less sharp and acrid over time. Occasionally though Adam felt as if Pritchard’s barbs were thinly veiled flirting attempts, but he didn’t do anything about it at first because he wasn’t sure, and didn’t want to make things awkward. </p>
<p>After a time however he changed tactics and flirted back, and sometimes he was just one step away from asking Pritchard out for a drink. He never did though, and wasn’t sure why. Maybe he was enjoying the status quo too much right now to jeopardise it, although if this went on any longer though he might just give in. Adam would have liked to deny that the memory of Pritchard in those god-damn tight black jeans had anything to do with the deterioration of his resolve, but he would have been kidding exactly no one. </p>
<p>That train of thought was so distracting that he almost collided with someone at the top of the stairs, and at that point Adam decided that enough was enough. Instead of his office he went to the cafeteria and got himself two coffees, and equipped with those he headed for the Tech Lab. </p>
<p>His good mood instantly vanished however when he stepped through the door. </p>
<p>Pritchard was sitting at his desk, but he was staring straight ahead, as if looking right through his screen and not at it. He also had the facial complexion of old milk, and in his eyes, the look of someone who doesn’t know if he should cry or throw up. </p>
<p>“Pritchard, what the fuck,” Adam said in a low voice and pushed the door shut with his foot. “What happened?”</p>
<p>At the sound of Adam’s voice Pritchard jumped like a cat next to a toaster, and he stared at Adam as if he wanted to yell at him to get the fuck out. But then he fell back into his chair. “Nothing,” he muttered and dragged his palms down his face. “I’m just being ridiculous.”</p>
<p>“You look like someone who’s been shot and forgot he’s supposed to fall over, Pritchard. Don’t give me that bullshit.”</p>
<p>“And why the hell do you care?” Pritchard snapped at him, looking like a cornered animal, all snarls and wide eyes. </p>
<p>Adam shrugged. “I know you don’t want to hear something along the lines of ‘I just do’, so how about I go with I need you in shape, and to be able to focus in case things go sideways and I have to be out in the field. That better?”</p>
<p>Pritchard stared at him for a moment before he closed his eyes with a sound somewhere between a moan and a sigh. Then he sagged into his chair and shook his head. Adam waited, and slowly approached the desk to put the coffee down in front of Pritchard who still seemed to be completely shattered. </p>
<p>“It’s… nothing,” Pritchard said again, and sat up somewhat straighter to be able to reach for the coffee. “I’m being ridiculous.”</p>
<p>Adam took a sip of coffee. “The way you look right now it’s not nothing, but if you don’t want to talk about it just say so.”</p>
<p>His fingers closing around the cup, Pritchard stared into the steaming liquid and closed his eyes again. For a moment Adam was worried he might crush the paper cup between in his hands, but then he took a sip with a sigh. </p>
<p>“Thanks for the coffee,” he muttered. </p>
<p>“Welcome.” Adam took another sip of his own. “I’ll leave you to it.”</p>
<p>He turned around and headed for the door, but happened to look back as he reached for the door handle. Pritchard honest to god looked as if he was about to burst into tears the moment Adam would close the door behind him. So he made one last attempt.</p>
<p>“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”</p>
<p>“You’ll laugh at me when I do,” Pritchard replied without looking at Adam. </p>
<p>“You should know me better than that,” Adam replied slowly. </p>
<p>Pritchard took a deep, heavy breath, and clutched his cup even tighter. It was beginning to show some serious dents. </p>
<p>“I got a… a summons. Because of the… the thing with the drugs.”</p>
<p>Adam was just about to say something like ‘oh, is that it?’ but then he remembered Pritchard’s words, about his time in jail, that he had more or less accidentally blurted out on that terrible morning. Before he could say something however Pritchard continued, confirming Adam’s suspicions. </p>
<p>“And I know… I know it’s not me this time!” Pritchard set the cup down with an angry huff. “I know it’s not me in the dock! I’m a victim and a witness! There is literally no reason to be so worked up about this!”</p>
<p>Adam slowly walked back towards Pritchard’s desk. “I guess being inside a courtroom has to… I don’t know. Give you flashbacks. And anxiety. So, no, you’re not being ridiculous. You’re dealing with trauma.”</p>
<p>Pritchard crossed his arms and after a moment, he looked up. His eyes were glistening. “It was my own fucking fault I ended up there, Jensen.” His voice was a little shaky.</p>
<p>“Doesn’t make what you went through any less traumatic,” Adam replied simply. He had his own share of trauma counselling under his belt, both from the time after the attack on SI and after Panchaea, and he knew what he was looking at. “Look, I’m not saying I’m an expert on anything trauma, but if you think I don’t wake up in cold sweat sometimes because I can still hear the screams of the poor fucked-up souls in the hangars of Panchaea, then you’re wrong.”</p>
<p>Pritchard’s face softened the tiniest bit, and he finally looked up. He was still a little pale, but his anxiety seemed to be ebbing off. </p>
<p>Adam shrugged. “There’s nothing anyone can do about that. But you, maybe I can do something. I can come along. Sit in the courtroom with you. Just keep looking at me. I won’t let anything happen to you. Anyone who wants to give you shit has to go through me first.”</p>
<p>“I do not need a knight in shining armour, or a bodyguard.” Pritchard huffed out a deep breath. “I do appreciate the offer though.”</p>
<p>“I know you don’t need it, that’s not the point.” Adam took a step closer, and now stood directly next to Pritchard’s chair. “My point is that if you think me being there can help with the shit you’re going through, then I’ll be there.</p>
<p>Pritchard looked up at him, very slowly. “And who helps you through your shit, Jensen?”</p>
<p>“Maybe I should get another dog.” Adam could only shrug, with a wry, humourless smile, and then he looked at Pritchard again. “Look. I know how it feels when you’re slave to your monkey brain. So if we can make your monkey brain shut up with me being there looking threatening, we should.”</p>
<p>“What about your monkey brain?” Pritchard’s voice was unexpectedly and very unfamiliarly gentle. </p>
<p>Adam wanted to play tough because this wasn’t about him, but the look in Pritchard’s eyes was difficult to bear. It was boring and at the same time free of judgement, and that was a rare occurrence in itself. And maybe that was Pritchard offering a helping hand in return. </p>
<p>Adam hesitated for another moment. “When I wake up at night I usually just start… doing stuff. Make food. Switch on the TV. Sometimes I go outside. Anything to make my monkey brain realise I’m not in Panchaea any more.”</p>
<p>“What about talking to someone?”</p>
<p>“Who is there to talk to at two in the morning?”</p>
<p>Pritchard crossed his arms with a wry, lopsided smile. “Someone who rarely goes to bed before that time?”</p>
<p>Adam had a hard time identifying the strange sensation in his chest upon hearing that. “So you’re offering me to call you at stupid o’clock when I wake up from a nightmare so you can sing me back to sleep?”</p>
<p>The wry smile widened into a wry almost-grin. “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, Jensen, so believe me, you don’t want that. On the other hand, if that doesn’t snap you out of it then I don’t know what will.” </p>
<p>Adam couldn’t suppress a small smile, but then Pritchard’s smile vanished again. </p>
<p>“But I don’t know…” Pritchard looked up again. “Won’t listening to me via infolink make the flashback problem worse?”</p>
<p>“I honestly have no idea,” Adam answered truthfully.</p>
<p>Pritchard pressed his lips together for a moment, and his frown deepened. Then he grabbed a scrap of paper and a pen, and scribbled something down. </p>
<p>“Here,” he said and thrust the paper out at Adam. </p>
<p>Adam looked at the string of numbers, and back at Pritchard. “What’s this?”</p>
<p>“My number, obviously.”</p>
<p>“But I already have your number, from when you texted me about the coffee.” Adam frowned at the paper.</p>
<p>“That was my work phone, Jensen.”</p>
<p>Adam slowly looked up. That was more than unexpected. “So this is...”</p>
<p>“My private number, yes.” Pritchard looked at his screen again. “Don’t loose it.”</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Adam replied and slipped the scrap of paper into his pocket. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah.”</p>
<p>“I’m having a bit of a deja-vu right now,” Adam said with a small grin he couldn’t suppress. </p>
<p>Pritchard looked up, and after a moment he snorted softly and shook his head. “I’ll forward you the email I got so you can compare it with your calendar.”</p>
<p>“Got it.” Adam headed for the door again and opened it, but looked at Pritchard for another moment.</p>
<p>“Don’t you have work to do, Jensen?” Pritchard’s tone was a lot softer than the words alone would suggest. </p>
<p>Adam grinned and saluted him with his cup. “Talk yo you later.”</p>
<p>He was ridiculously pleased with himself about successfully talking Pritchard right off the edge of a nervous breakdown. He probably shouldn’t tell Pritchard that to his face, though.</p>
<hr/>
<p>That Adam would one day take up the part of fashion counsellor was not something he would have been able to imagine. But here he was, standing in Pritchard’s bedroom, and stared at the heap of clothes on the bed with a slight feeling of despair. </p>
<p>It was nothing compared to Pritchard’s however, who was tearing himself apart over what to wear to court today. He did have a suit, a nice one even, but Adam had seen him in that exactly once, on a black-tie event Sarif had dragged them to. The sight of Pritchard in a slim-fitting black suit with a tie had been about as disturbing as the sight of Malik in heels and an LBD however, so Adam didn’t like to think back to it. </p>
<p>And now here he was, trying to dissuade Pritchard from wearing that fucking suit to a courtroom, although he could understand the reasoning.</p>
<p>“Look, Pritchard, I know where you’re coming from.” Adam took the coat hanger with the shirt and the suit jacket out of Pritchard’s hand and hung it back into the wardrobe. “But this-”</p>
<p>“But I need to be-”</p>
<p>“Presentable and credible, I get it!” Adam stepped between Pritchard and the wardrobe. “But a suit, that isn’t you. You’re already feeling like shit, and dressing up as someone you’re not will only make you more uncomfortable and make it worse.”</p>
<p>“But you’re wearing a suit!”</p>
<p>“I’m comfortable in a suit. Well…” Adam shrugged. “Not really, but I’m okay in a suit.”</p>
<p>“Jensen, defence is going to try everything to discredit me and I don’t want to give them any more openings!”</p>
<p>“Probably. But if they’re doing that, then what you’re wearing right now is not going to make a difference. But the attorney is on your side, Pritchard, and he won’t let that just happen. You’re not on the defence. So don’t make yourself any more miserable than you already are.” Adam looked him up and down. “Maybe you should take something?”</p>
<p>“I already took something, Jensen.” Pritchard didn’t meet Adam’s eyes. “And believe me, I want to take another but I doubt it’s a good idea showing up in the witness stand today out there with the birds and bees.” </p>
<p>Adam looked back at Pritchard’s face with a sigh. “Oh.”</p>
<p>Pritchard just shrugged, and turned back to his wardrobe.</p>
<p>In the end Pritchard left the house wearing a pair of practically new and not skin-tight jeans, and a black blazer over a dark grey turtleneck. He was also wearing a pair of Adam’s dress shoes because luckily they had the same size, and Adam couldn’t wear them any more after his augmentation anyway. In all, Pritchard was now perfectly groomed and styled, and if Adam had thought Pritchard would be able to appreciate it, he would have made a few flirtatious compliments. </p>
<p>By the time they had reached the courthouse Pritchard was more nerves than anything else, and he stared at the door as if he was going to his own execution. Adam looked at him with a sigh, and stepped directly behind him. He settled both hands heavily on Pritchard's shoulders, and then stepped so close they were almost touching. </p>
<p>“You got this,” he muttered. “Tell the monkey brain to look at me. Tell that monkey brain that nothing can happen to you because I will fuck up anyone who tries something.”</p>
<p>“I’m trying,” Pritchard muttered back, and added, “I got this,” even though it did not sound completely convincing. But then he rolled his shoulders and took a deep, deep breath, and entered the courthouse with slow steps but his head held high. </p>
<p>Adam smiled to himself as he followed. If you could package Pritchard’s stubbornness you could probably use it to build air-raid shelters.</p>
<p>Sadly, by the time it was Pritchard’s turn to enter the witness stand most of that stubbornness had dissolved into nerves again, and Adam could see the predatory look in the defender’s eyes from where he was sitting. </p>
<p>“Mr Pritchard. How often do you frequent the Harlequin?”</p>
<p>“Not often.” Pritchard thought for a moment. “Once a month, maybe? I was there that night because of the live music.”</p>
<p>“Just the music? You weren’t trying to… find someone?”</p>
<p>“If I’m looking to pick someone up I do that in a gay bar,” Pritchard replied with a frown. “Less risk of ending up with a broken nose when hitting on a guy.”</p>
<p>“But you wouldn’t have minded taking someone home if the chance had presented itself?”</p>
<p>“I was not in the mood for a one-night-stand that evening,” Pritchard gave back. “And I tried to make that clear to Mr Chapman.”</p>
<p>“But from what we know,” the defender said slowly, “you were dressed rather provocatively that evening. We all know how easily that can be misunderstood.”</p>
<p>“I was wearing jeans and a tank top!”</p>
<p>“Objections!” The attorney got up. “Mr Pritchard’s wardrobe is irrelevant.”</p>
<p>“Objection sustained.” The judge looked at the defender for a moment before she nodded. “Go on.”</p>
<p>The defender hesitated for a moment. “So you did not tell Mr Chapman to leave you alone?”</p>
<p>“I did,” Pritchard replied. “Although I used a phrase that is not suitable for a courtroom.”</p>
<p>“Indulge us.”</p>
<p>Pritchard crossed his arms, and Adam kept a close eye on him. His hands were still shaking. </p>
<p>“I told him to fuck off and leave me alone,” Pritchard replied. “And then I didn’t look at him again, hoping he'd get the hint.”</p>
<p>“And what happened then?”</p>
<p>Pritchard swallowed, and took a deep shaky breath. “I don’t remember,” he said, and his voice was a little bit unsteady now. “I do remember telling him to fuck off, and the next thing I remember is waking up in a bed that isn’t mine, and a co-worker telling me I’d been drugged.”</p>
<p>“So you did not see Mr Chapman putting something into your glass?”</p>
<p>Pritchard blinked a few times and narrowed his eyes. “If I had I wouldn’t have drunken from it!”</p>
<p>“So you don’t know for sure it was Mr Chapman who put the drug into your drink?”</p>
<p>“He was sitting next to me, so I don’t know who else it could have been. Also he tried to take me home so-”</p>
<p>“And Mr Chapman said you changed your mind, and offered him something for the mood,” the defender cut in. </p>
<p>“Objection!” the attorney called again. “The drugs were found in Mr Chapman’s car!”</p>
<p>“Which Mr Pritchard might have stored there himself,” the defender said. </p>
<p>“I did not!” Pritchard said, with a hitch in his voice. </p>
<p>“But you said you can’t remember anything,” the defender replied with the trace of an oily smile, and Adam was tempted to find out where he lived. “But then, a man with your past would of course not shy away from any means necessary to avoid going to prison again.”</p>
<p>Adam could see the colour drain from Pritchard’s face, and he coughed, very loud and pointedly. Pritchard’s eyes flew around, and the moment he looked at him, Adam gave the defender a pointed look before he let his shades snap into place. And just as he had hoped, he could see a tiny bit of tension leave Pritchard’s shoulders. </p>
<p>“No further questions,” the defender said. </p>
<p>When Pritchard sat down next to Adam again, Adam could see how much effort it cost the other man to keep himself together. Following a sudden impulse he took Pritchard’s hand, and although Pritchard froze for a second, he did not pull his hand away. </p>
<p>“Adam Jensen!” the judge called, and after a short squeeze of Pritchard’s hand, Adam got up. </p>
<p>The judge gave him a look as he sat down. “Take off your sunglasses please,” she said, and Adam nodded and let them slide back. </p>
<p>“Mr Jensen,” the defender said, and steepled his fingers. “You are Mr Pritchard’s line manager?”</p>
<p>“I’m his co-worker,” Adam replied, and lowered his eyebrows. “I’m head of security, he is head of cybersecurity. That’s two different departments. We work together on threads to the company, and we both only answer to Mr David Sarif himself.”</p>
<p>“I see. But you know his file?”</p>
<p>“I know everyone’s file.” Adam leaned back. “And yes, I know Mr Pritchard’s past just fine, as do you, obviously. So we both know that he was convicted because of cyber-criminality and not anything drug-related.” </p>
<p>“Tell us what you saw that evening, Mr Jensen.”</p>
<p>So Adam proceeded to recount the events of that night, from spotting Pritchard, his interaction with Chapman, how his cop instincts had led to him managing to rescue Pritchard, and the ride to the hospital where the blood samples had been taken.</p>
<p>“And what happened then?”</p>
<p>“As instructed by the doctor I made sure he was safe so he could sleep it off. And with all due respect, the rest is not your business.”</p>
<p>“I disagree.” The defender took a step towards the stand, but Adam was unimpressed. “There are so many different drugs with different effects.”</p>
<p>“Right,” Adam said and shook his head. “I took him home and put him to bed. I spent the night at my PC doing research on date rape drugs to know what I had to watch out for and what to expect the next day. I found one where the symptoms matched, and the after-effects described matched what Mr Pritchard went through the next morning.”</p>
<p>“But you’re not an expert on drugs, are you?”</p>
<p>“I’m an ex-cop,” Adam began, but was interrupted.</p>
<p>“Ex-SWAT, as far as I’m aware?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but I didn’t turn magically into a fully-fledged SWAT member the moment I stepped through the academy door. I’ve been through the training and walked the beat just like any other cop in training. I have dealt with a lot of drugged people in that time, and I know the difference between date rape drugs and recreational ones.”</p>
<p>“It’s been a while since you… walked the beat, as you said. Things can happen very fast in that department.”</p>
<p>“Objection!” The attorney got up again. “We have the blood works from the hospital right here, where the drug was identified unambiguously.”</p>
<p>“Sustained.”</p>
<p>Adam was released not long after, and he could see that the defender’s technique of trying to discredit victims and witnesses did not work. The next people called forth were the other victims and one of the girls who had helped Pritchard and Adam that night. Then Pritchard and after him Adam were called in again, this time by the attorney.</p>
<p>It was over soon after. There were no fingerprints other than those of Chapman on the confiscated bag of drugs, and the statements and a lack of alibi painted a consistent picture. Chapman gave Pritchard a poisonous look as he was walked past them. </p>
<p>“We’ll lodge an appeal,” he snarled. “And with luck it’s going to be you leaving in cuffs next time. You’re working for a celebrity maybe, but I can still take you down with me, asshole.”</p>
<p>“Good luck with that,” Adam said and stepped close to Pritchard’s side, shades snapping into place.</p>
<p>Chapman looked him up and down. “And who are you? His bodyguard?”</p>
<p>“His gardener,” Adam replied without moving a muscle. He was just about able to hide how much he was enjoying the sight of Chapman in handcuffs. </p>
<p>Once outside again Adam mustered Pritchard for a moment from behind his shades. He no longer seemed close to a nervous breakdown, but he was still pale, and looked almost fragile. Adam hated the sight, but didn’t know what to do about it. </p>
<p>“Hey,” he said after a moment, and rested a hand on Pritchard’s shoulders. “It’s over. You pulled through.”</p>
<p>“Barely,” Pritchard muttered, and met Adam’s eyes. </p>
<p>Adam hesitated for a moment, but then he moved the hand from Pritchard’s shoulder down his back, and pulled him close. Pritchard tensed as Adam’s arms closed around him, but after a moment he relaxed again and returned the embrace. </p>
<p>“Thank you,” he muttered into Adam’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“Anytime. Anything for my favourite radioactive danger noodle.”</p>
<p>Pritchard pushed away from him and stared at Adam out of wide eyes with his mouth hanging open. Then he narrowed his eyes. “Is that you taking advantage of the fact I’m too grateful right now to be angry with you?”</p>
<p>Adam nodded. “Goal was to distract you from being miserable. Mission accomplished.”</p>
<p>Pritchard shook his head, but there was a small, if somewhat tired smile on his face. </p>
<p>“Let me hail us a cab,” Adam said. “I’m ready to get out of here.”</p>
<p>They didn’t speak in the taxi on the way back, but the silence was a lot less uncomfortable than Adam would have expected. They both left the taxi at Pritchard’s place, and just as Adam was about to say goodbye, Pritchard took a deep breath. </p>
<p>“Jensen, I…” He cleared his throat. “I’d like to buy you dinner. Just not…”</p>
<p>“Not today,” Adam replied with a small smile. “You need to rest. Play some video games. Get drunk. Whatever you need to do to unwind.”</p>
<p>“I think I’ll just catch up on sleep,” Pritchard replied and toyed with his key card. “But I’ll give you a call.”</p>
<p>“Anytime.” Adam gave him a nod. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow?”</p>
<p>“I guess.” Pritchard unlocked the door. “Staring at the walls at home won’t do me any good.”</p>
<p>Adam nodded again, and watched the door fall shut behind him. For some reason he couldn’t explain he waited until he saw the light in Pritchard’s windows before he turned away. He made his way home slowly, walked a large detour, and not for the first time wished he wasn’t so alone once he got home. </p>
<p>Ever since leaving the courthouse Adam was desperately trying to forget the look of naked fear in Pritchard’s eyes as the defender had brought up his past, but with little to no success. To distract himself he started to tidy up a little, and he finally found Pritchard’s tank top, under the radiator in the corner next to the bedroom wall. He dropped that into his hamper, and once he had the apartment as clean as he could get it without actually getting out a mop, he settled down in front of his TV with a coffee. At least the game was intense enough to take his mind of what happened earlier today.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Since Pritchard didn’t usually go out to eat, according to his own words, he had asked Jensen for a recommendation on where to take him for that dinner he had promised. That made Adam think of the El Flaco, where he had been a few times with Megan. He had loved the food, but had never been there again because he didn’t like going out for dinner alone.</p>
<p>And now he was back, sitting at a nice corner table opposite of Frank Pritchard of all people, and between them a pan of the best Paella this side of the Atlantic, according to the menu. Adam had never tried Paella in Spain, but he was ready to believe it. This stuff was amazing.</p>
<p>Looking at Pritchard however Adam felt he should have chosen something else.</p>
<p>“Pritchard, if you don’t like seafood, why did you let me order this?”</p>
<p>“It’s not seafood as such,” Pritchard said and looked up. “It’s just the mussels. And not because of the taste, but because… of the sand.”</p>
<p>“Sand?”</p>
<p>“You know.” Pritchard pushed another mussel to the edge of his plate. “Sometimes they have sand in them, and this crunching sound and feeling between the teeth? I can’t stand that. If someone could offer me guaranteed sand-free mussels, I’d love to eat them.”</p>
<p>“How about shrimps?”</p>
<p>Pritchard speared one with his fork. “There is literally nothing in there but the mussels that I don’t like.”</p>
<p>“Fine, then you get the shrimps, and I get the mussels. I eat them, but I’m not the biggest fan of shrimps.”</p>
<p>“What a perfect match we are, Jensen,” Pritchard said with a lopsided smile.</p>
<p>“Yes, we even complement each other eating seafood,” Adam replied and took the bottle of wine they had ordered. Pritchard lifted his glass and Adam poured them both.</p>
<p>They clinked their glasses together, and after another moment of eating in silence, Adam looked up again.</p>
<p>“You know, Pritchard, I’ve been wondering. I mean, tell me if it’s not my business, but you said you’ve been in the Harlequin for the live music. Where do you go when you really want to let your hair down, literally and figuratively?”</p>
<p>Pritchard finished chewing and put down his fork. “Mostly, I go to a place called the Crystal Grotto. I don’t suppose you heard of it?”</p>
<p>“Is it a gay bar?”</p>
<p>“More of a club, really.” Pritchard took his glass. “Or both, depending on how you look at it. It has nice seating and a really good bar, as well as a dance floor. But the music is… special. I can’t imagine you’d like it.”</p>
<p>“Try me,” Adam replied with a grin. He had to admit he enjoyed spending time with Pritchard, but not only because of the company. Just being out again, doing something other than drinking and watching TV at home, made him feel better than he had ever been since crawling out of the hospital almost two years ago. Marching into suicide missions wasn’t the same as embracing life again.</p>
<p>“So you want me to take you to a gay club?” Pritchard’s smile was almost juicy, it was the only term Adam could think of.</p>
<p>“I won’t break anyone’s nose for hitting on me, if that’s what worries you.”</p>
<p>“You will probably have to fight off admirers front left and centre the whole evening,” Pritchard replied, his smile widening.</p>
<p>“Guess you will have to protect my virtue then.” Adam resisted the urge to wink.</p>
<p>Pritchard actually laughed. “So you think I’ll run around you the whole night telling everyone ‘he’s het so don’t bother’?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I see the problem,” Adam said, and took the opening he had been waiting for. “Only I’m not het.”</p>
<p>Pritchard blinked a few times. “Oh.”</p>
<p>“Is <em>that</em> a problem?” Adam took his glass.</p>
<p>“No.” Pritchard didn’t hesitate for a second. “Not for me. I guess I assumed too much because of appearances. I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“Happens,” Adam replied and took a sip of wine. “Don’t worry about it. So how about I take you out for drinks in the Crystal Grotto?”</p>
<p>“Tonight?”</p>
<p>“Bit late for that, I guess.” Adam put his glass down. “But how about next weekend?”</p>
<p>“The place will be packed on a Friday or a Saturday,” Pritchard replied. “But we can try.”</p>
<p>“Let’s.” Adam took his fork. “We can always change locations.”</p>
<p>Pritchard smiled and nodded, and Adam smiled back. One of these days he would have to ask if they couldn’t maybe move on to be on first name basis.</p>
<hr/>
<p>First thing Monday morning Adam entered the Tech Lab with a small plastic bag containing Pritchard’s newly washed tank top. He dropped the bag onto Pritchard’s desk because he wasn’t in yet, but as he was about to leave Pritchard came back with a coffee.</p>
<p>“Morning.” Pritchard walked around Adam, looking rather grumpy. Pritchard was many things, but a morning person, he was not.</p>
<p>“Morning, Pritchard. I found your shirt.” Adam pointed at the bag. “I even washed it.”</p>
<p>“Oh, thank you.” Pritchard sat down, took the bag, and pulled it out. He gave Adam a look with narrowed eyes. “You didn’t do anything weird with it, did you?”</p>
<p>“Nah,” Adam replied with a smirk. “I just jerked off into it.”</p>
<p>Pritchard dropped both the bag and the shirt. “Jensen for fuck’s sake!”</p>
<p>Adam bend down to pick up the bag and dropped it onto the desk again, unable to suppress a chuckle.</p>
<p>“Come on, I was just kidding! You know that, right?”</p>
<p>Pritchard eyeballed him as he slowly took the bag again.</p>
<p>“Besides, I only jerk off into socks.”</p>
<p>“You’re gross!!” Pritchard threw the bag at Adam who nimbly sidestepped it.</p>
<p>Adam couldn’t stop himself from laughing now. “You’re adorable when you’re scandalised.”</p>
<p>Pritchard gasped for air, and for a second or two he looked like a fish on dry land. Then he snapped his mouth shut and gave Adam a glare that would have felled a lesser man. “Scandalised? Adorable?!”</p>
<p>Adam couldn’t stop chuckling.</p>
<p>“I think I have to give you a sharp reminder about who exactly has access to the security protocols on your personal computer,” Pritchard snarled. “Your tinder profile picture could use an update.” Then he grinned. “And a new password.”</p>
<p>Adam stopped laughing and cleared his throat. “You wouldn’t.”</p>
<p>“Go ahead. Keep that up and make my day.” Pritchard crossed his arms.</p>
<p>Adam stared right back, but then he noticed something in Pritchard’s eyes he hadn’t seen before. A small crinkle of the corners of his eyes, a twitch of an eyebrow.</p>
<p>The staring match lasted all of three seconds before Pritchard snorted. Adam couldn’t stop himself from snorting too, and then they were both chuckling.</p>
<p>“Thanks for the shirt, Jensen,” Pritchard said and switched on his screen. “Next time I won’t be as forgiving, though.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry,” Adam said and inclined his head. “Your highness has put me into my place.”</p>
<p>“About time someone did,” Pritchard said with a smirk.</p>
<p>Adam shook his head with another chuckle and headed towards the door. Halfway through the Lab he stopped again and turned around. “Hey Frank, we could grab a coffee together during lunch break if you want?”</p>
<p>Pritchard faltered for a moment before he looked at Adam. “I do have a lot on my plate for today, so I don’t know if I can make room for an actual lunch break.”</p>
<p>“I just drop by with a coffee then,” Adam said, glad he hadn’t been rebuffed for now. He turned around and headed for the door.</p>
<p>“Oh, Adam?”</p>
<p>Adam froze, and had a hard time holding back a grin as he turned around.</p>
<p>“Be a sweetheart and pick that up, and chuck it into the couch next to my backpack, will you?” Pritchard pointed at the bag that had landed next to the monitor arch.</p>
<p>“Your wish is my command,” Adam said and did just that.</p>
<p>“I like the new etiquette between us,” Pritchard replied with a saucy grin.</p>
<p>“Don’t get used to it.” Adam gave him a nod and a smile. “I’ll be seeing you.”</p>
<p>“Later.” Pritchard focused on his screen, and Adam left him to his devices. Better start thinking of him as Frank now. It was a little surprising how good that felt.</p>
<p>If people at SI would find out they were on a first name basis now, and even went out for drinks, someone would probably want to call the funny farm to collect them. Adam shook his head with a grin. He could live with that.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>Acrid green smoke. Biting his eyes.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>…Can’t breathe...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He can breathe. But he doesn’t want to. The fumes scratch in his throat, taste of bitter bile on his tongue.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>…No, please, not again, please...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I don't want it! I don't want it!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The converters are empty. He can’t cloak. He can’t sneak past. No more gas grenades. He can only hope he doesn’t break any necks. He wants to cry. But that’s a waste of strength.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh god... oh god!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He could be one of them.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Get out! All of you! Get out of my head! Leave me alone!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He should be one of them. Why isn’t he one of them?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I can't control them any more! Run! Run!!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, it’s not fair, I’m so sorry...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Not real... no, no, no, not real!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>… I’m sorry...</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Let me go! Get away!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Get away! GET AWAY!”</em>
</p>
<p>A hoarse gasp of air that still had the acrid aftertaste of CS gas, and Adam was sitting in his own bed, panting and drenched in sweat. His head was spinning, his stomach recoiling, and he could still hear them, faint echoes of despair buried deeply in his mind.</p>
<p>“Fuck…” Adam’s voice was rough and trembling. “Fuck…”</p>
<p>His hoarse, shaky voice echoed in the near-empty, cavernous room with those all-too high ceilings. Adam pushed himself up, forced himself onto his feet, stumbled across the room, and finally hit he light switch.</p>
<p>It didn’t make much of a difference. Light never did. He couldn’t see them any more but he could still hear them, their voices thin and fading. Haunting him, taunting him, spectres pointing accusatory ghostly fingers at him. Why hadn’t he been faster? Why hadn’t he been there sooner? He should have seen it coming. Biochip issues. Illuminati. Control. It was all about control, had always been control. He should have known.</p>
<p>Adam dragged his feet back to the bed. He was tired. God, he was so tired, but he knew that trying to go back to sleep was a lost cause right now. He still sat down, but as soon as he closed his eyes he saw the empty hangars of Panchaea. He was also cold, he was freezing so much, but he would only make himself more miserable if he crawled back into bed now. Sleep was gone for the night, he knew that. Might as well get dressed.</p>
<p>He picked up his phone to check the time, and as he looked at his fingers, he knew that his hands would be shaking now, but for the fact that they couldn’t, not any more. Then he looked at the screen. Two twenty-three, five hours to go until he could go to work, five hours in which he had to find something to make those voices go away, when all he wanted was to be back in bed. Maybe he could just go back to SI now, and relieve the poor sods on night shift.</p>
<p>But something about the numbers he was looking at gave him a sense of longing, a twitch of need, and it took him staring at the display for three minutes until he realised what it was.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Who is there to talk to at two in the morning?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Someone who rarely goes to bed before that time?”</em>
</p>
<p>He couldn’t. Yes, Frank had offered, but that didn’t mean he had actually meant it.</p>
<p>Only that Frank Pritchard would never make any offer he didn’t mean. Just like he didn’t make empty threats. Adam stared at his phone, but he had to get up again and find his coat, and dig around in the pockets until he found the scrap of paper.</p>
<p>And then another five minutes passed.</p>
<p>Long past two o’clock. Even Pritchard would be asleep by now. No, not Pritchard. Frank. Adam shook his head. His brain could not shake the habit of calling him that.</p>
<p>He was so tired. But Adam knew the moment he would close his eyes he would be back in Panchaea. The moment he tried to stop thinking and calm his mind, he would hear them again.</p>
<p>He didn’t even realised he had dialled the number. But then he took a deep breath and tapped Call.</p>
<p>It rang, four, five times. Adam was about to cancel the call when the receiver symbol went green.</p>
<p><em>“What is wrong with you whoever you are,”</em> Pritchard growled.</p>
<p>Shit. He had made a mistake.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I hope this is a butt call, but if this is a prank then I can promise you I will find you!”</em>
</p>
<p>Adam swallowed. “Frank?”</p>
<p>For a moment he was afraid Frank had hung up on him, that he had unfrozen himself too late. But then he heard the rustling of what had to be a blanket.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Adam?”</em>
</p>
<p>“I… I’m sorry… did I wake you up?” Adam swallowed. “I…” He had no idea what to say.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I just switched off the lights. Is this… did you have a nightmare? About Panchaea?”</em>
</p>
<p>“I… yeah. It was… it was awful.”</p>
<p><em>“I…”</em> Frank took a deep breath. <em>“It would be, yes. Do you need to talk about it?”</em></p>
<p>“Talking about it won’t help.” Adam dug his fingers into his hair, the other hand clutching the phone. “It’s always the same! Green smoke from the CS gas, and they’re screaming at me, and I… I can’t get past them, I don't’ want to hurt them, Frank, I really don’t!” Adam felt his throat tighten. “I should have been one of them! And I wasn’t! And I couldn’t stop it!”</p>
<p><em>“Adam.”</em> Frank’s voice was firm, almost sharp. <em>“First of all, no one should have been in that situation, and that you were not is not a curse but a blessing. If you hadn’t been spared, no one would have been able to end the transmission. Do you hear me? I know, sometimes it probably sucks to be the hero, but in this case? If things hadn’t happened as they did, most of this world would still be in smouldering ashes.”</em></p>
<p>Adam clung to his phone with his eyes pinched shut.</p>
<p>Frank sighed, and his voice was gentler now. <em>“I know about survivor’s guilt. And I know you know that too. Tell me, why didn’t you let LIMB Hengsha replace your chip?”</em></p>
<p>“I don’t know.” Adam shook his head without opening his eyes. “Something felt off.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Exactly, and I felt the same way, that’s why I was running tests and working on a fix. We were both spared from that because of this feeling of wrongness. Call it paranoia, call it circumspection. Those powers that be were relying on us all to be good little sheep, and at least the two of us were not.”</em>
</p>
<p>“It’s…” Adam was still digging his fingers into his hair, and he welcomed the sting of it. “I get it but… it wasn’t their fault! I didn’t want to hurt them!”</p>
<p>More rustling, and a deep huff. <em>“Of course not.”</em> Frank’s voice was low now, and almost soft. <em>“You never want to hurt anyone. I didn’t call you Mahatma Gandhi for nothing, did I?”</em> A pause. <em>“I have the feeling I’m not doing a very good job here, Jensen. Adam, I mean. I’m not making anything better, am I?”</em></p>
<p>Adam felt the ghost of a smile sneak onto his lips. “You can’t. No one can. But hearing this from you makes it somehow feel more real than hearing it from a shrink.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Well, that’s something, at least. But you still don’t sound like someone who’s ready to fall asleep again.”</em>
</p>
<p>“Kinda surprising you know me well enough to say that.”</p>
<p><em>“If this were a face-to-face conversation I’d shrug. Remember how you managed to worm the thing about the summons out of me?”</em> Frank huffed out a small chuckle. <em>“I was trying my best to play the it’s-nothing card, but you wouldn’t have it.”</em></p>
<p>“Yeah, I remember.” The smile on Adam’s face came a little more alive. “Don’t know how I would get there now, though. Sleep, I mean. Don’t get me wrong, I’m dead tired. But just… closing my eyes and lying down, right now? I would just hear and see them again.”</p>
<p>Frank sighed. <em>“And how long does that usually last?”</em></p>
<p>“Usually I don’t sleep again for the rest of the night.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Jensen, it’s…. not even three. That’s at least four more hours, so I won’t have that.”</em>
</p>
<p>“If you have a solution about this, I’m all ears,” Adam replied. “And no, sleeping aid music or white noise doesn’t help.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“But talking to me helped?”</em>
</p>
<p>“It did.” Adam swallowed. “But I don’t know how talking to you would help me sleep.”</p>
<p><em>“Then let me do the talking.”</em> Adam could hear rustling, and a low creak. <em>“I have an idea.”</em> Now it sounded as if Frank was walking.</p>
<p>“Frank?”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Lie down, and get comfy. I can’t sing you to sleep, but I can read something for you. If it doesn’t make it better I’ll just stop and try to think of something else.”</em>
</p>
<p>“Frank, you don’t-”</p>
<p>
  <em>“I know I don’t have to. Just like you didn’t have to spend a night watching my drugged ass. How did you put it back then? You wanted me to be okay? Well guess what, I want you to be okay, and you better get okay or else.”</em>
</p>
<p>Adam huffed out another low chuckle.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Are you comfortable?”</em>
</p>
<p>“Hang on.” Adam didn’t know why he even bothered, but he owed Frank to at least try. So he got comfortable, and put the phone on speaker and placed it next to the pillow. “I’m all tucked in, and the phone is on speaker.”</p>
<p><em>“Good.”</em> Adam could hear the rustling of pages. <em>“Don’t worry, this is not a programming and engineering science book. It’s a childhood favourite.”</em></p>
<p>“A children’s book?”</p>
<p><em>“Not necessarily.”</em> Frank cleared his throat. <em>“But a classic. Now shut up and let me read. I feel awkward enough as it is.”</em></p>
<p>“Frank, you really don’t-”</p>
<p>
  <em>“I thought I told you to shut up?”</em>
</p>
<p>Adam chuckled again and closed his eyes. “Go ahead.”</p>
<p>Frank cleared his throat. He hesitated another moment, and then he started to read.</p>
<p>
  <em>“In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat. It was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort.”</em>
</p>
<p>His voice sounded different, somehow. Smoother, calmer. A little deeper. The words were almost not important, certainly less important than just having this voice to listen to.</p>
<p><em>“It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats – the hobbit was fond of visitors.”</em> Frank cleared his throat. <em>“And Tolkien was very fond of endless run-on sentences.”</em></p>
<p>Adam smiled, and realised he had his eyes closed. But instead of Panchaea he saw images, part memory from way back when he had watched the movies, and part imagination because he could not remember much.</p>
<p>
  <em>“The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill… I swear, Jensen, if you ever tell anyone I’m doing this I’m going to skin you alive and make a coin purse out of your nutsack.”</em>
</p>
<p>“It’s our dirty little secret, Francis,” Adam replied with a smile.</p>
<p>Adam couldn’t suppress a grin at the indignant huff he got as a response, but despite that, Frank just continued. And Adam closed his eyes and listened.</p>
<p>And then his alarm went off.</p>
<p>Adam jerked up with a grunt and stared at the phone next to the pillow. He silenced the alarm and stared at the display.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Call ended</em>
  </strong>
  <br/>
  <strong>
    <em>43 minutes 17 seconds</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>“What the fuck…” Adam whispered. “Jesus…”</p>
<p>He really had fallen asleep. He had just fallen asleep again, just like that, just listening to Frank’s voice. Adam sat up, and looked out of the window. He felt a strange, unfamiliar warmth in his abdomen, and then he realised that his heart was beating way faster than it should, considering he hadn’t even left the bed yet.</p>
<p>Adam dragged a hand down his face and then he did get up. He stared at his phone, shook his head with a crooked smile, and headed for the bathroom.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Once back at SI the first thing Adam did was brew an extra large, extra strong coffee, and equipped with that he entered the Tech Lab. Frank looked up, and actually smiled at him.</p>
<p>“Do you know that you snore, Jensen?”</p>
<p>Adam snorted. “So I’ve been told.”</p>
<p>“I mean it wasn’t loud, or nerve-grating. It actually was kind of adorable.” Frank leaned back with a pointed smile.</p>
<p>“If you don’t tell anyone, I won’t tell anyone either,” Adam said with a smile of his own and put the coffee down. “Thank you. You have no idea what that meant, just being able to fall asleep again.”</p>
<p>Frank tilted his head, and then his face softened. “Glad I could help. Thanks for the coffee.”</p>
<p>“Least I could do. I also pay for the drinks on Friday.”</p>
<p>“I won’t say no to that.”</p>
<p>Frank took the coffee and inhaled the steam. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a beep coming from his computer. A yellow dot flashed up on the screen.</p>
<p>“You have to be fucking kidding me.” Frank slammed the cup down and grabbed his mouse. “Seriously?”</p>
<p>“I’ll leave you to it,” Adam said and nudged the paper cup a little out of the way of Frank’s mouse arm. “Call for help if you need coffee and can’t leave the desk.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Adam... You’ve got to be joking!”</p>
<p>Adam left the Tech Lab again and headed for his office. The memories of Frank’s voice from last night was still fresh in his mind, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself from comparing that voice with Frank’s regular ‘office-voice’. It was almost like listening to two entirely different people.</p>
<p>And the fact that he had been granted the privilege of seeing that particular side of Frank Pritchard made his heart flutter again. Faster, this time.</p>
<p>“I think I fell a tiny little bit in love with you, Francis,” he muttered, and shook his head with an incredulous, mildly amused huff of breath. “Damn.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I found three perfect matches for the Crystal Grotto's ambience. It's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN1Q6VbFLEk">this</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOtjiMYUJ_s">this</a> and especially <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kalKWTTa7Eg">this</a> which I described in more detail further below, you may recognise it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Somehow, Friday couldn’t come fast enough for Adam. He didn’t know why, or only partly why. He enjoyed spending time with Frank outside of work, but why he was so excited to accompany him into a club, Adam had no idea. Maybe because it was another glimpse into Frank’s otherwise so reclusive private life.</p>
<p>Frank had told him that the place would be warm, and not to overdress. The habit of having his arms always covered was hard to kick though, so he put on the thinnest long-sleeved shirt he could find. It still didn’t hide his hands, of course, and neither could anything hide the sheaths curving around his eyes.</p>
<p>Adam fell into the sofa with a sigh and grabbed his phone.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Adam?”</em>
</p>
<p>“Hey Frank. Question.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yes?”</em>
</p>
<p>“Tonight, that place. The Crystal Cave.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Crystal Grotto.”</em>
</p>
<p>“What’s their stand on augs?”</p>
<p>There was a small pause.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh, I see, I’m sorry, I forgot to mention that. Augs are fine. They even have… uhm… yeah. They have regular pole dancing nights including dancers with augs, and every now and then they have one where the dancers exclusively are augmented, for the…”</em>
</p>
<p>“People with kinks.”</p>
<p><em>“Is that a problem?”</em> Frank sounded extremely worried.</p>
<p>“No.” Adam couldn't’ suppress a smile. “I rather have it that way then being glared at for a whole evening, and being called hanzer, clank, or cog.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“You won’t. Are you good to go? Because I’m already on the way to your place.”</em>
</p>
<p>“Almost. Was just wondering what kind of top to wear.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“No tac gear necessary, Jensen. Are you coming down?”</em>
</p>
<p>“I’ll meet you outside.”</p>
<p>Adam ended the call, headed back into the bedroom, and pulled of the sweatshirt. After staring at himself for a moment in the wardrobe mirror, he grabbed a dark grey T-shirt and pulled that on. Then he looked at himself again, augmented arms on display that he always, always made sure to cover outside these walls. He curled his fingers into fists, and uncurled them again very slowly. A deep breath, and then he gave his mirror image a nod and closed the wardrobe door. Moments later he was out of the door, and on his way to the elevator.</p>
<p>Frank was already waiting when Adam left the lobby, and he gave Adam a small smile.</p>
<p>“Someone cleans up nice,” he said, dropped his cigarette, and ground it out under his heel. Then he picked the butt end up again and threw it into the nearest trash can.</p>
<p>Adam looked down at himself. Just his usual black leather jeans, his boots, but instead of tac gear or a black sweater, a dark grey T-shirt. There was no reason for him to bother with the heavy coat at this time of year.</p>
<p>And Frank… unsurprisingly, he was wearing those fucking black jeans again. A black T-shirt, and the leather jacket. Adam wasn’t going to ask about the tank top, but he expected the worst.</p>
<p>The Crystal Grotto was sort of hidden in the basement of a shopping mall at the west end of downtown Detroit. They had to go down a set of stairs outside the building, and another one inside, until they reached the wardrobe area where a very bored looking girl with several facial piercings took Frank’s jacket.</p>
<p>And yes, he was wearing the tank top. Adam kept his eyes on the snake winding around Frank’s arms as he followed him into the club, in a desperate attempt to keep his eyes from locking onto Frank’s backside.</p>
<p>He was so fucked.</p>
<p>The place wasn’t packed, but there were a lot of people, and they couldn’t find a table with seating any more. So they retreated into a corner as far away from the dance floor as possible, where they found a small, round bistro table; a standing table, but better than having to carry the drinks in your hand all the time where they would get warm.</p>
<p>The music washing over them was indeed not something Adam had heard before. Synthetic sequences and throbbing artificial bass, overlaid with screaming heavy guitars and occasionally, similar screaming vocals. Adam wouldn’t have been able that a thing that he could only think of as synthetic metal existed, but obviously, it did.</p>
<p>“What do you want to drink?!” Adam asked.</p>
<p>“Surprise me!” Frank yelled back over the music.</p>
<p>Adam shook his head with a grin, and pushed and shoved his way to the bar, taking several curious looks around as he did so. The interior design of the place was interesting, to say the least. Patterns of fluorescent lines and patches were painted onto the black walls and ceilings, reminiscent of an underwater cave, and the throbbing lights did their part to make those patterns seem to move. The furniture was all steel and glass, and the patrons ranged from middle-aged biker type to cyber-horror Lolita. Tattoos, piercings, leather, studded leather, UV make-up, fluorescent contact lenses, and hairdos in all colours and variations as well as just manes and beards.</p>
<p>Frank, in his outfit, his snake tattoo and with his hair down blended in perfectly, while Adam felt he was sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb.</p>
<p>By the time he headed back for the table Frank was talking to two guys who had similar outfits, simple and mostly black, and both of them had long hair. One of them had an undercut, with the long hair braided and hanging down his back, and he gave Adam a completely unashamed once-over. They left as Adam had reached the table, and Frank folded his arms into the table top with a grin.</p>
<p>“Old friends?!” Adam asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, we hang out sometimes! They were in the mood for a threesome!”</p>
<p>Adam, who had just taken a sip of his drink, almost did a spit-take. He coughed, and glared at Frank who was looking back with a shit-eating little grin.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry Jensen, I told them I’m not in the mood!” He took his drink. “Tonight I’m all yours!”</p>
<p>This time Adam did a little spit-take, but managed to keep himself under control.</p>
<p>“Gin and tonic?!”</p>
<p>“Didn’t feel adventurous!” Adam yelled back.</p>
<p>Right. This was the reason he usually preferred cosy little bars or pubs.</p>
<p>They drank in silence for a while, watching the people around them from their vantage point in the corner. Conversations were difficult in this atmosphere, and Adam, while not exactly regretting they came here, began to wish they had chosen a different location. Next to him, Frank put down his empty glass and gestured towards the dance floor with a twitch of his head.</p>
<p>Adam shook his head and took another sip of his drink.</p>
<p>“Come on, Jensen!”</p>
<p>“I don’t dance! Never liked it!”</p>
<p>“Do you mind if I do?!”</p>
<p>“Have fun!”</p>
<p>Frank looked at him for a moment, and then he shrugged and walked towards the throng of dancing people. Flickering strobe lights made the patterns on the walls come alive, and turned the dancer’s moves into something almost robotic. That, and the flashes of fluorescent UV makeup coming through shreds of artificial fog, made the whole place feel a little surreal.</p>
<p>Try as he might have, Adam would never have been able to imagine Frank Pritchard in this kind of location. But then, there were a lot of things about Frank Pritchard that Adam had discovered lately, and a lot of those were not things he would have been able to imagine. Him reading Tolkien, for example. Him reading Tolkien for Adam to help him through a nightmare.</p>
<p>Taking another sip of his drink, Adam watched the dancing people, and scanned the crowed until he found Frank again. The snake winding around his arms and shoulders was not covered in UV makeup, but the colour did come alive in a strange way under the pulsing lights.</p>
<p>And at that point Adam discovered another thing about Frank Pritchard: The man could dance. The way he moved made him look fluid, as if he didn’t have a single solid bone in his body. His hair was flying to the beat of the throbbing bass, and the way he moved his hips made Adam wish he was wearing a longer shirt.</p>
<p>So this was Pritchard when he really let his hair down. Dancing to psychedelic synthetic metal music, moving as if he had been earning his money through college as a pole dancer.</p>
<p>The uninvited thought popped in his mind without warning, and Adam didn’t know where to look any more. He only knew that he needed a change of view right now, so he did the only thing he could think of and headed for the restroom.</p>
<p>He used a cabin since he disliked urinals, and not because he was afraid that in a gay club people would be staring at his dick, but because he disliked the things in general. He liked his privacy when doing his business, thank you very much, and he only ever used the things when the actual toilets were too disgusting. Which they were not, in this case, but there were holes in the walls between the cubicles. And those holes did not look accidental.</p>
<p>When he reached the table Frank was back, and he had bought the drinks this time. He was sweating, and Adam tried his best not to get too close, but no matter how far he was away, Frank’s skin glistening with sweat was something that made his brain float even deeper into the gutter.</p>
<p>“Where have you been?!”</p>
<p>“Bathroom!” Adam took the drink. “Why are there holes in the walls?!”</p>
<p>Frank huffed out a small laugh that was inaudible over the music. “Never heard of a glory hole?!”</p>
<p>“A what?!”</p>
<p>“A glory hole! They’re there for fun! You can stick your dick through them when someone’s in the next cubicle and see what happens!”</p>
<p>Adam had no idea what his face was doing, because this time Frank did laugh loud enough that Adam could hear him.</p>
<p>“And…” Adam leaned closer, he couldn’t help it. “Have you ever…?!</p>
<p>“What?! No!” Frank shook his head. “I’m far too paranoid about safe sex for that!”</p>
<p>It was a bit of a relief, but now, knowing what those holes were for, Adam’s mind immediately went even deeper into the gutter that seemed to be a one-way street, and his brain now helpfully supplied him with images of him in one and Frank in the other cubicle.</p>
<p>Adam had no idea how he would survive the rest of the evening in so close a proximity to this man, when Frank was dressed like this, and dancing like that, and –</p>
<p>“Coming this time?!”</p>
<p>Adam shook his head again, but something about Frank’s face was different, and Adam couldn’t shake the feeling that Frank was thinking about glory holes too, or at least, thinking about the fact that Adam was thinking about them. Adam stared at his glass. It was some sort of long drink, but not one he recognised. It wasn’t strong though; the sentinel was still in idle, so there were not nearly enough toxins in his blood to be a problem.</p>
<p>Adam turned around and propped both elbows onto the table at his back. Which was probably a mistake, because now he was watching Frank dance again, but he was on the wrong side of the table. Maybe if he would slowly migrate around it no one would notice he was trying to hide a boner. But then Adam looked up again, just the moment that Frank looked over.</p>
<p>Their eyes met and locked across the room.</p>
<p>The music changed to something slower, the song heavy on the synthetic waves and with a female voice now, still hard guitars but strangely hypnotic. Frank tilted his head, very slowly, and his hair fell down, fanning around his face. A slow smile appeared on his face, and Adam felt his throat go dry.</p>
<p>Just a small twitch of Frank’s head. Adam shook his. No dancing. He hated dancing. He felt awkward at the best of times, and he would not make an ass out of himself in front of Frank Pritchard.</p>
<p>But then Frank looked at him through the curtain of hair, bent forward and straightened up, and arched his back, the movement fast and fluid, as if he was really a snake. He had no right to be able to move like this, the fucking nerd. No man who ate code for breakfast had any right to be this fucking sexy, and Adam was so, so fucked.</p>
<p>Another twitch of Frank’s head. The look in his eyes was dark.</p>
<p>But it was a look Adam recognised.</p>
<p>He had no idea if any of the feelings he had were mutual, but the sexual attraction seemed to be, at least tonight. Adam was still fighting with himself, if he should give in or if he should stay, and keep the status quo between them. But then Frank did something unspeakable with his hips and Adam pushed himself off the table.</p>
<p>He crossed the empty space between the table and the dance floor with slow, heavy steps, and slowly, matched the rhythm of the music. There wasn’t much room to dance anyway; it was more of a rhythmic, stationary swaying and twitching, any movement of limbs restricted to what little space there was in the crowd. And Adam did feel awkward, and had a hard time moving even remotely normal. He was not even thinking about being graceful, but the smile Frank was giving him now made his pants even tighter.</p>
<p>This whole thing was surreal. Dancing people, twitching, jumping, writhing in time with the throbbing bass; flickering, fluorescent lights, pulsing music; the smell of sweat, fog machine, and alcohol surrounding them. And Frank, directly in front of him now, moving with a fluid grace Adam had never seen, had never been able to imagine, and would never get enough of seeing.</p>
<p>Adam didn’t know if this wasn’t the worst idea ever, but when he matched his slow sideways swaying to the speed and rhythm of Frank’s moves, he got so close he could feel the heat radiating off the other man’s body. He could smell him, fresh, clean sweat, the herbal scent of his hair, a dark and earthy aftershave. It was intoxicating.</p>
<p>They were so close now their bodies were almost touching, and now Frank turned his head, and looked at Adam over his shoulder. And then Adam felt two hands come to rest on his hips. He looked down and yes, those were Frank’s hands.</p>
<p>Adam was hardly moving himself but sweat prickled in every pore of what little organic skin he had left. A few strands of hair brushed the side of his face as Frank looked ahead again, and Adam lost the last of his resolve. He moved a little forward, and rested his hands on Frank’s hips from behind.</p>
<p>They were more swaying than dancing now, and everything around Adam had a strange, trance-like quality. Everything but the man in front of him, so close that Adam could see his eyelashes illuminated by the bright neon light as he turned his head to look at Adam again.</p>
<p>Adam’s head moved forward as if on his own accord, and as he moved, Frank leaned his head back, and let it drop a little to the side. Baring his neck and throat, presenting it to Adam like a fucking feast. Adam could feel Frank shudder as his bearded cheek brushed against the pale skin of Frank’s neck, and he had to close his eyes. His heartbeat was thundering louder than the bass of the music around him.</p>
<p>Somehow they had moved even closer together now, and there was no way Frank would not be acutely aware of the massive boner Adam was currently dealing with. But like this, with his cheek against the skin of Frank’s neck, Adam could feel Frank’s rapid heartbeat, the fast and heavy breathing, in no proportion to how little they were moving right now.</p>
<p>It was almost dizzying, this mix of sensations, and Adam would have asked himself if he was drugged, but his sentinel was still idle. Before he could think anything else however Frank rolled his hips, and all of Adam’s last conscious thoughts and reserves went right out of the window.</p>
<p>He tightened the grip of his fingers on Frank’s hips and pulled him close, and brushed his cheek against the skin of Frank's neck again. He got an absolutely delightful shudder as a reward, and smiling against the pale, smooth skin, he moved his lips across it, right under Frank’s ear. Frank shuddered again, but then he took Adam’s hands and pulled them off. He turned around, but without letting go of Adam’s hands.</p>
<p>Both of them were breathing heavily as they stared at each other, with flashes of strobe light reflecting in Frank’s eyes, wide and boring into Adam’s with burning intensity.</p>
<p>They moved simultaneously, but slow, agonizingly slow, and Adam couldn’t stop his eyes from fluttering shut. A part of his brain, a very small part at the back of his mind, was screaming, was almost hysteric, that this was happening, that he was about to kiss Frank Pritchard, but then their lips touched and everything else vanished from Adam’s mind.</p>
<p>It was a hesitant touch of lips at first, shy, even a little awkward, but then their lips were moving against each other’s. The music was drowned out by the thundering of his heartbeat, and all Adam could feel was Frank’s body pressing against Adams, and Frank’s lips moving against his own. But just as Adam was tilting his head for a better angle, Frank leaned back. His eyes were still wide, and his lips were parted, and he was breathing hard. Then he moved forward, but past Adam’s face. His breath grazed the shell of Adam’s ear.</p>
<p>“We need to get out of here.”</p>
<p>Adam had no idea how his heart could beat even faster now but it did, and he was so out of breath that he almost expected his rebreather to kick in. He could only nod, and he let Frank grab his hand and drag him off the dance floor, and past the crowd at the bar towards the door.</p>
<p>Adam was still half in trance, or so it felt, by the time Frank had retrieved his jacket. But when Frank took his hand again he could see that Frank looked as affected as Adam felt. He was also breathing faster than necessary, his eyes and pupils were wider than normal, and Adam didn’t need his CASIE to guess why.</p>
<p>“Yours, or mine?” Frank asked, voice the slightest bit unsteady.</p>
<p>“My place is closer,” Adam said, and had to resist the urge to push Frank against the nearest wall as the latter bit his lower lip.</p>
<p>“You got everything?”</p>
<p>To think that he had felt so awkward and almost embarrassed when he had bought those condoms and the lube on his shopping trip on Wednesday. He had been telling himself that nothing was going to happen, that despite his very real crush and very awkward sexual attraction, they were still only friends.</p>
<p>Now Adam could only thank his past self on his mental knees for doing it anyway as he nodded.</p>
<p>“Great.” Frank entwined their fingers and gave Adam a low-lidded, slightly breathless smile. “Let’s go.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Enjoy the sexytimes, and thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adam would have felt stupidly awkward in his hurry to get back home, if not for the fact that Frank seemed to be in a hurry too. Sometimes even more so, to judge by the way he occasionally tugged at Adam’s hand. </p><p>The air between them in the elevator was so charged Adam didn’t dare to look at Frank, an unpleasant sense of deja-vu gnawing at his mind. Because this time, if either of them made one false move the other would press the emergency stop button, and Adam had no real intention to spend his first time with Frank messing up an elevator. Frank seemed to have similar feelings because he looked at anything but Adam on their way up, yet Adam could see the way he was kneading his hands, how his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. </p><p>And all this was followed by a moment of stiff awkwardness after Adam had closed the door behind him. He watched Frank shrug out of his jacket while avoiding to look at Adam at all, and Adam had no idea what to say. </p><p>Eventually he cleared his throat and crossed his arms. “Want a coffee?”</p><p>Frank tensed for a moment before taking a deep breath, and then he slowly turned around. He let his eyes wander up and down Adam’s body and swallowed before shaking his head. </p><p>“I rather have something else in my mouth,” Frank muttered, the look in his eyes darkening. “And it’s not coffee.”</p><p>Adam’s throat was suddenly so dry it made a clicking sound as he swallowed, and he took one large stop forward, hands going for Frank’s shoulders. He pushed him against the wall at his back, and trapped him between his body and the wall. </p><p>“Really,” Adam muttered, leaning forward so his lips first brushed Frank’s cheek, and then his ear. “And what else do you want?”</p><p>“If you absolutely have to know,” Frank whispered with a shudder, “then I’ll tell you.”</p><p>“Indulge me,” Adam whispered into his ear, increasing the pressure of his body against Frank. “What are you thinking about?”</p><p>A small gasp, and Frank’s head his the wall. Adam followed, lips against Frank’s neck. </p><p>“I’m… about you,” Frank whispered shakily. </p><p>“Hmm?” Adam kept ghosting his lips over the skin of Frank’s neck, and discovered to his delight that he could completely deteriorate Frank’s sharp and brilliant mind with a simple brush of his beard. “Tell me more.”</p><p>“On your knees,” Frank whispered, and rested his hand on Adam’s hips. </p><p>“Go ahead.” A nip to Frank’s earlobe. He could feel Frank’s hands tighten their grip, his fingers digging behind the waistband of Adam’s jeans. </p><p>“With my dick in your mouth,” Frank replied in a strained whisper as Adam ground his hips against Frank’s. </p><p>“Is that all,” Adam muttered, trying to calm his breathing. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about this very thing. A lot of times. And he was so hard right now he could hardly breathe.</p><p>“W...well…” Frank swallowed, tilting his head to one side to give Adam better access. “That’s everything I can think of, off the top…” a breathless chuckle, “of my head…”</p><p>Adam smiled against Frank’s skin and moved his hands down from Frank’s shoulders to his hips, and slid them slowly under Frank’s shirt and up again. He pushed it up, and slowly lowered himself down, unable to suppress a smile at Frank’s husky gasp. Adam brushed his lips down Frank’s abdomen as he knelt, past his navel, and stopped when his knees hit the ground. For a moment he just looked at the sizeable bulge in front of him. </p><p>“That looks uncomfortable,” he said in a low voice, and looked up.  </p><p>Frank was staring down at him with an almost wild look in his widening eyes. He seemed unable to reply. </p><p>Adam felt a smug little smile tug at his lips, and he slowly reached for the first button. He opened it agonizingly slow, as well as the second one. Then came the zipper, and he pulled that down as slowly as he could. He could hear Frank swallow from where he was, and it made the smile only wider. </p><p>The sight before him made Adam’s smile dissolve however, and his throat was even drier than before. Black, half-translucent satin, leaving little to imagination. </p><p>Adam stared at the sight before him until he heard Frank chuckle. </p><p>“I hope you feel properly flattered, because I put on the nice underwear just for you.”</p><p>Adam huffed out a soft chuckle himself and tugged at the waistband of Frank’s jeans. “Very flattered.” He tugged again, but the bastard did not move. “How did you get this fucking thing on? Talcum? Vaseline?”</p><p>“Determination,” Frank replied with a crooked grin. </p><p>Adam leaned closer, but looked up at Frank. His chin was now almost touching the hardness in those deliciously semi-translucent briefs, but only almost. “And how do you get out?”</p><p>“Stubbornness,” Frank replied, and rested his hands on Adam’s shoulders. “Now are you going to do something about that boner? Because I’m about to pass out from lack of oxygen in my brain.”</p><p>“Can’t have that,” Adam whispered and lowered his eyes again.</p><p>He now tugged a little more resolutely at the waistband of Frank’s jeans, and finally managed to pull them over Frank’s backside. He cupped Frank’s buttocks in his hands for a moment, and then leaned forward to bury his face in Frank’s crotch. He smiled against the hot skin against his lips when an unchecked, high-pitched gasp fell from Frank’s lips. He mouthed along the outline of Frank’s dick, and opened his eyes again when he felt Frank bury his fingers into Adam’s hair. </p><p>“Adam, please…”</p><p>The soft urgency in Frank’s voice made Adam shudder, and made heat flare up in his chest and abdomen. He ran his hands up Frank’s legs and rested them on his hips for a moment before hooking his fingers into the waistband of those beautiful black satin briefs. He pulled carefully this time because he had no intention to damage the delicate fabric. </p><p>Adam allowed himself a moment to drink in the sight of Frank’s dick before him, to enjoy listening to Frank’s fast, shaky breaths, and the feeling of Frank’s fingers digging into his hair. Then he dipped his head with a flick of his tongue for a taste, and before Frank could do anything but choke out a gasp, Adam sucked him between his lips and swallowed him down. </p><p>Adam almost felt as if he was flying, as if he had taken something really special, but none of the shit he tried in high school or college had ever made him feel like this. He was losing himself in the sensation of fingers in his hair, of Frank’s soft gasps and breathless stutters of Adam’s name, of his taste and his scent and the sheer knowledge that this was really happening. </p><p>And then he felt the grip of the fingers in his hair tightening, a gentle but insistent tug. </p><p>“Adam…” Frank’s voice was nothing more but a hoarse rasp. “Adam, I’m going to… going to…”</p><p>While Adam appreciated the warning, he had no intention of stopping this anytime soon. He sucked a little harder, a little deeper, his moan around the hard flesh in his mouth a low, vibrant hum. He heard Frank’s head hit the wall with a dull thud, heard a long, high-pitched moan, and felt a shudder under his fingers that were still holding on to Frank’s thighs. Moments later he could taste bitter salt on his tongue, and listening to Frank’s helpless, unchecked moans he swallowed and sucked until Frank pulled so hard at his hair it stung a little. He swallowed again and pulled back, gently, slowly, and took a deep breath before looking up. </p><p>Frank looked absolutely wrecked. Cheeks flushed, with the red glow creeping down his throat and over his clavicles, hair a mess, eyes wide, lips parted, skin covered in a fine sheen of sweat. </p><p>It was a sight that would forever be burned in Adam’s memory, for as long as he lived. And he would treasure the memory forever.</p><p>A small smile on his lips Adam ran his hands gently up and down Frank’s thighs, thumbs drawing soothing circles into his skin. Then he thought that maybe it would be a good idea to help Frank out of these horrendously tight jeans, and he began tugging the waistband further and further down. It got easier the lower the jeans went, and eventually Adam stopped to pull off Frank’s boots, light biker boots with a modest heel and a zipper on the instep. Those were easy to get rid of, and when he had finally peeled Frank’s legs out of the jeans, he slowly got up again. </p><p>Frank had, in the meantime, sorted himself out and pulled the briefs back up, and when Adam had gotten onto his feet again, Frank looked at him with a slightly wobbly smile while tugging a strand of hair behind his ear. </p><p>They silently looked at each other for a moment, but then Adam stopped trying to think, and cupping Frank’s cheeks in his hands, he leaned forward for a kiss. Frank immediately rested both forearms on Adam’s shoulders and folded his hands at the back of Adam’s neck, and he opened the lips into the kiss with a soft moan. </p><p>That sound travelled from Adam’s ears straight to his groin without making a detour through his brain, and he was acutely aware that he was this close to coming just with grinding his hips against Frank’s. Then Frank rolled his hips, increasing the friction, and Adam broke the kiss and dropped his head onto Frank’s shoulder with a groan. </p><p>“My turn now,” Frank whispered, his fingers combing through Adam’s hair. </p><p>Adam turned his head to bring his lips against the skin of Frank’s neck. He hummed softly, and enjoyed the tiny shudder. </p><p>Even if asked, he would never have been able to put into words how much he wanted this. How much he wanted this man. In the beginning it had all been sexual attraction, then a slightly awkward crush, but after tonight he was no longer able to ignore this was so much more than that. But he had no idea where Frank’s attraction or his feelings ended or began, so he didn’t say anything, and just nipped the skin of Frank’s neck. </p><p>“Bed, maybe?” Adam muttered. “With organic legs you’d be more comfortable on a mattress.”</p><p>“You’re spoiling me,” Frank whispered, and looked at Adam with a heavy-lidded smile when Adam pushed himself away. </p><p>Both completely ignored Frank’s clothes and headed for the bedroom, but Adam didn’t even get the chance to close the door behind him before Frank had his hands under his shirt. It was only a moment’s hesitation before Adam lifted his arms, but Frank wasn’t too far gone in his post-orgasm fog not to notice it. So he dropped the hem of the shirt again and stepped around Adam to look into his eyes. They hadn’t bothered with switching on the lights, but the yellow glow of the street lamps falling through the blinds was enough light for Adam to see the worried look in Frank’s eyes.</p><p>“Bad habit,” Adam muttered, and reached out to slip his hands under Frank’s tank top. “Guess I need someone to help me get rid of it.”</p><p>Frank wordlessly lifted his arms and let Adam pull the shirt over his head. Adam dropped it and rested both hands on Frank’s chest, his eyes on the black, artificial fingers resting on pale skin.</p><p>“Does this feel okay?” he asked in a low voice, and he hated how weak he sounded.</p><p>“Why wouldn’t it?” Frank asked, his voice so very gentle as he placed both of his hands atop Adam’s. “I’ve touched your hands before and believe me, I’ve wanted them on me for a while now.”</p><p>Now Adam looked up, heart almost in his throat. “You did?”</p><p>As a reply Frank just smiled, and slowly let his hands slide up Adam’s arms, over his shoulders, and down his sides until he could take a hold of the hem of Adam’s T-shirt. Adam let go of Frank’s shoulders and lifted his arms, and felt the last bit of apprehension leave him as Frank dropped the shirt. </p><p>Frank stepped closer again and let one hand trail down Adam’s chest, fingers digging gently into the skin. Having reached the waistband of Adam’s pants however he turned his hand, fingers down, and cupped the bulge of Adam’s erection with gentle pressure. Adam couldn’t hold back his moan, even had he wanted to. </p><p>Frank closed the distance between them, and Adam met him halfway, as hungry for another kiss as Frank. While they kissed, with a lot more heat now, and a lot more tongue, Frank busied his long, clever fingers with Adam’s buttons. He took far less time than Adam had, and he just pulled the heavy leather jeans down over Adam’s ass when he had unbuttoned them. </p><p>Adam stepped back with a soft chuckle and quickly divested himself of the offensive item of wardrobe. “In a hurry?”</p><p>“To get my hands and my mouth on you?” Frank gave Adam’s shoulders a gentle nudge, pushing him towards the bed. “You bet.”</p><p>Adam let himself be pushed towards the bed, and when the frame hit the back of his knees he simply let himself sink down. Now Frank reached for the switch of the lamp on the bedside table, and spent another moment letting his eyes rake over Adam’s naked body. Adam felt his throat go dry when he saw what he could only describe as sheer hunger in Frank’s eyes. </p><p>Then Frank joined him on the bed, straddling Adam’s thighs, and leaned over him for another kiss. Like this Adam could feel his painfully hard dick brush against the satin of Frank’s briefs, and the sensation was driving him mad. Just so little, not enough, but enough to increase the heat coiling in his guts. </p><p>Frank broke the kiss and dragged his teeth gently over the shell of Adam’s ear, very consciously keeping his hips from pressing down. </p><p>“You’re gonna make me come in two minutes like a teenager,” Adam gasped, arching his back in a desperate attempt to find more friction. </p><p>“Is that a bad thing?” Frank chuckled into Adam’s ear. “I promise I won’t hold it against you and take it as a compliment.”</p><p>“In that case...” Adam gasped as Frank’s let his fingers run down his chest, fingers catching on his nipples. “In that case… please… I think my dick is going to explode, as unromantic as that sounds.”</p><p>Now Frank actually laughed, a soft, low sound that Adam had never heard before. But he took pity on Adam and slid off his thighs, and slowly bend over Adam’s abdomen. He dropped a few kisses onto Adam’s skin, nuzzled the thick of Adam’s pubes for a moment, and then licked a long, wet stripe up his dick. Before Adam even got a chance to breathe Frank lowered his head again, and only stopped when Adam’s dick his the back of his throat. </p><p>After everything he had learned about Frank tonight, Adam shouldn’t have been surprised that Frank had mastered the art of deep-throating, but then Frank swallowed with a low hum in his throat and the last of Adam’s capability for coherent thought went right out of the window. </p><p>All Adam could feel was Frank’s hands on his skin, silky strands of hair brushing his lower belly, the heat of Frank’s mouth, the indescribable sensations of what he was doing to Adam’s dick, what he was doing to Adam. He was close, so close, and Frank just kept on doing these amazing things, and with his fingers buried into Frank’s hair Adam finally came with a shout, Frank’s name falling from his lips without him being able to make a decision about it. </p><p>Adam had no way to measure the time, but eventually Frank released him and fell down next to Adam, onto his side, to look at Adam’s face. </p><p>“You okay?” Frank asked softly, running his fingers through Adam’s hair.</p><p>“Never been better,” Adam rasped, voice husky and rough. </p><p>A low chuckle, and Frank dropped a soft kiss onto Adam’s lips. Then he settled back down, bedded his head on Adam’s shoulder, skin anchors notwithstanding, and slung one leg over both of Adam’s. </p><p>After some wriggling of his legs, and stretching of his arm and the shoulder Frank wasn’t lying on, Adam managed to get a hold of his blanket, and he pulled it up over them to a satisfying degree. </p><p>“But I want to blow you again, Jensen,” Frank muttered with a somewhat sleepy smile. </p><p>“Give a man a break, Pritchard,” Adam muttered back and turned his head to drop a kiss onto Frank’s forehead. </p><p>“Only if you promise you’ll let me blow you again.”</p><p>“I’d be an idiot if I said no to that,” Adam said after a soft snort. “And I like to think I’m not one of those.”</p><p>“Occasionally you’re not,” Frank replied and snuggled closer. “So I’m letting you off the hook for now.”</p><p>Adam brushed his nose across Frank’s forehead and dropped his head into the pillow again. He was so warm and comfortable and relaxed, sated in a way he hadn’t been in a very long time. Adam closed his eyes with a sigh, and reached out to switch off the bedside lamp.</p>
<hr/><p>When Adam woke up to nature’s call he slipped out of bed as stealthily as possible, but by the way Frank’s deep and even breathing sounded, he probably needn’t have bothered. Seeing as he was awake anyway and the sun was up already he grabbed a pair of briefs and his sweatpants, not bothering with a shirt, as he usually did when he was alone. </p><p>He softly closed the bedroom door behind him, and headed for the kitchen and some much needed coffee. </p><p>Adam spent the time with his morning coffee reminiscing about last night, and wondered what it all meant now. He was in no doubt, not any more, about his feelings, but he had no idea what Frank was feeling, or if he had any feelings at all apart from sexual attraction. He was just done with his second coffee when the bedroom door opened, and he got up with his empty cup, to see Frank leave the bedroom in his briefs and one of Adam’s T-shirts.</p><p>“That’s more like it,” Frank muttered with a smile as he tried to somewhat untangle his hair with his fingers. </p><p>“More like what?”</p><p>“Waking up in your bed on a Saturday morning,” Frank replied with a small smirk. </p><p>Now Adam had to smile as well, but for whatever reason he felt too awkward to touch or kiss Frank on his way up to the kitchen to get more coffee. </p><p>When he came back to the sofa Frank was wearing his jeans again. He was sitting in the corner of the sofa, one leg folded under him, and he was giving Adam a very cautious look. </p><p>Adam sat down and put both cups onto the table before him before he forced himself to look at Frank. The silence was heavy and uncomfortable, and Adam hated it, but he wasn’t sure what to do about it, other than blurting out what was weighing on him. He took a deep breath, but remained unable to speak. </p><p>“Adam?” Frank’s voice was low and cautious. </p><p>“What are we?” Adam finally blurted out. </p><p>Frank tilted his head with a frown. “What do you mean?”</p><p>“What are we?” Adam asked again. Talking became easier, now that he had broken his silence. “I know we were friends. Before.”</p><p>“Before last night.” Frank leaned back and crossed his arms. </p><p>“Yeah.” Adam felt his chest tighten when he watched Frank cross his arms. “I just… what are we now? Still friends? With benefits? Or more?”</p><p>Frank looked at him for a very long moment. He tightened his arms around himself and gritted his teeth. But before Adam could think of a way to put his feelings into his words, Frank broke the silence. </p><p>“Do you want us to be friends? Friends with benefits? Or…” He bit his lip.</p><p>“Or?” Adam swallowed. “More?”</p><p>Frank nodded.</p><p>“What do you want?” Adam asked.</p><p>“I asked you first.” Frank’s voice was low, heavy, and almost dull.</p><p>Resignation? </p><p>“I…” Adam swallowed again. “I don’t want us to be friends. Just friends, I mean.” Then he took a deep breath and moved over to Frank’s side. “I don’t want last night to be a one-off thing. But I don’t want us to be friends with benefits.”</p><p>Very slowly, Frank began to untense, and he loosened the tight hold of his arms. His shoulders fell a little, and then he tilted his head. </p><p>“I’m… I’m not good at this,” Adam soldiered on. “And don’t ask me when and why it happened, but I’ve been in love with you for a while now, and I thought I could never have what we had last night, and I don’t know if there are feelings involved on your side but for me?” He swallowed. “I want this. I want us. I want there to be an ‘us’.”</p><p>Frank slowly closed his eyes, and then his hands fell into his lap. When he looked at Adam again there was a smile on his face, and the look in his eyes was soft, soft in a way that Adam had never seen before. </p><p>“So you really didn’t notice how I’ve been flirting and hitting on you during the last weeks?”</p><p>“I…” Adam cleared his throat. “I didn’t think there was a… serious intention in it. I thought it was just fun, because I couldn’t imagine that…  uhm…”</p><p>“That Frank Pritchard could be in love with Adam Jensen?”</p><p>Adam felt a sheepish smile creep onto his lips. “I… basically, yeah.”</p><p>“As little as I could imagine that Adam Jensen could be in love with Frank Pritchard and yet here we are, on your sofa, blurting out awkward confessions instead of getting back to bed.”</p><p>Adam moved closer and rested his wrists on Frank’s shoulders, fingers ghosting soft touches onto Frank’s back. “I think those awkward confessions were kind of necessary.” He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Frank’s. “Don’t you think?”</p><p>“I guess,” Frank muttered, and reached out to run his fingers through Adam’s hair. “But now that we have established how we have been crushing on each other…”</p><p>“A little more than crushing, to be honest.”</p><p>“Hopelessly pining, then.” Frank gave Adam’s forehead a nudge with his own. “Whatever. I was honestly running out of ideas how to make you understand that I’m interested in you. Especially when it looked as if not even giving you come-hither looks on the dance floor worked.”</p><p>“Yeah… where’d you learn to move like that anyway?”</p><p>“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Frank purred with a smirk. </p><p>Adam couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Sorry for being as thick as a short plank sometimes.”</p><p>A soft snort. “I don’t usually like them big and dumb, Jensen, so it’s a good thing I know you can be pretty smart when you have to.”</p><p>“Coming from you, Pritchard, that’s quite the compliment.” Adam lifted his head and leaned a little closer. He could feel Frank’s breath on his lips, and he could see how Frank’s eyes flicked up and down between Adam’s lips and his eyes. </p><p>“Are you going to kiss me now, Jensen?” Frank’s voice was a low purr. “Or do I have to do everything around here myself?”</p><p>Adam spent a second or two trying to think of a smart reply but then decided he couldn’t be bothered, and did what he really wanted to do instead, which was kissing Frank breathless. </p><p>“Stay for dinner?” Adam muttered against the skin of Frank’s neck after breaking the kiss. </p><p>“Dinner?” Frank chuckled. “We haven’t even had breakfast yet.”</p><p>“Just… stay,” Adam replied, unable to peel his face out of Frank’s shoulder, embarrassed by the pitch of helpless urgency in his voice. He wanted Frank to stay, not only for this weekend, not only in his apartment. </p><p>But then Frank’s hand ran gently down his back, and the fingers of the other buried into his hair. “I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered softly. </p><p>Adam let his head sink onto Frank’s shoulder, a warm, peaceful feeling of contentment spreading in his chest. “Should I make more coffee?” he muttered.</p><p>“Later,” Frank whispered, his cheek in Adam’s hair. </p><p>“Later,” Adam replied with a smile. </p><p>Right now they had all the time in the world. And Adam had no intention to waste any of it.</p>
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